Nuits St. Georges

Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Perrieres

Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Chaignots

Deep colour, Wonderfully pure, ripe, black/red fruits. Dense, concentrated, rich, silky, cherry-like fruit. This is fine with excellent structure and length. A superb showing.

No prices as yet for 2001 wines: these will be offered later. Please find below prices for the just released 2000 vintage. This is a stunningly opulent, concentrated wine and Clos deTart is one of the top domaines in Burgundy making wines of great purity, concentration, depth and complexity. A vin de garde. The 1999 Morey 1er Cru is younger vines and selected barrels of Clos de Tart. This offers remarkable value as it is opulent, rich and very much in the style of the Grand Vin. This is delicious but will also benefit from cellaring.

Lamarche has produced another dazzling range of wines and must be one of the most underrated of the top Cotes de Nuits estates. The wines at 1er Cru level have hedonistic, perfumed aromas of red fruits, spices and the wines are superbly balanced, elegant and well defined. I have selected two 1er Cru’s, which to my mind are Grand Cru in all but name: the dark, exotic, multi-dimensional Malconsorts, and the silky, complex, highly perfumed Croix Rameau – a virtual monopoly, sitting next to Romanée St Vivant. Similarly at Grand Cru level, I have gone for the two perennial over-performers: the opulent, majestic, spicy, richly textured, hugely complex Grands Echezeaux, a small appellation which is difficult to source, and the monopole La Grand Rue, which seems to transcend conventional notions of Pinot Noir, much in the same way as certain of the DRC wines. In this great vintage this is no exception, as yields were reduced even further in the search for extra concentration. This is a big wine, rich, multi-dimensional, intensely complex and grandiose with a terrific balance of opulent fruit and great freshness. An impressive range of wines (and still offering very good value).

This important domaine (in size and vineyard holdings) has an amazing array of top vineyards. The young Cyprien Arlaud, who is slowly taking over the winemaking, still works alongside his father and the rest of his family and produces an exciting and quite wonderful range of wines. The 2002 vintage here has resulted in a quite fabulous set of wines. These have wonderful concentration of ripe fruit, finesse, opulent structure and mouth-filling perfume with great definition of terroir. We have managed to secure more of the 2000 and 2001 vintage from Arlaud: please ask about these (limited quantities available of these older wines). A domaine to follow.

A new addition. One half of this estate was purchased by Domaine Leroy and the rest remains in the hands of the Remy family. These are wines of great class and purity with wonderfully lacey, silky fruit. They have great vineyard definition and amazing finesse. Not much new oak is used here (about 33%) but there is lovely natural concentration and depth of ripe fruit. A really beguiling range of unforced wines which are all in finesse and complexity.

This is a stunning range of concentrated and superbly refined wines from this small domaine. These are immensely stylish with great finesse and length. Guy Castagnier makes very natural, very classy wines from old vines and is a great source for top quality wines from great terroirs (Guy has vines, all superbly situated, in an amazing seven Grand Cru vineyards). The village wines show superb vineyard character and a sense of place. They have lovely pure red fruits Pinot character with rich, ripe seductive textures. The Chambolle is very true to its origin showing subtle, silky mineral fruit whereas the Morey is easily of premier cru quality with a tad more density and richness of texture. The Clos de la Roche and Clos St Denis have morello cherry-like flavours with the Clos St Denis more floral, mineral and open and the Clos St Denis more dense and closed. Both show superb elegance, great length and balance with enveloping fruit and ripe tannins. These need to be cellared. The Charmes is from 60 years old vines and shows that classic liquorice character I find in the best examples of wine from this vineyard. This has richness with energy and great class. The Mazis and Latricieres are altogether more masculine with excellent depth of ripe fruit (13/13.5 degrees alcohol natural). The Mazis (from vines situated very close to Le Chambertin) shows mineral, earthy, dense, structured fruit with fantastic purity and texture. A three-dimensional wine with lovely tannins. The Latricieres is a great wine with the richness and texture from old vines and from fruit affected by “millerand” this vintage (which concentrates the grapes naturally). Exotic, smokey, ripe and very long with mouth filling texture and sweet Pinot fruit. The Clos Vougeot (from vines not that far from Grands-Echezeaux) is firmer, more tannic and quite closed at this stage. There are hints of black fruits, black cherries with a concentrated and energetic finish. This is a serious wine in need of long cellaring. The Bonnes-Mares is also quite backward and but shows terrific finesse, freshness and depth of ripe, complex, rich fruit. This is a potentially great old bottle and hence needs keeping. Please note we have also bought some 2000 wines from M. Castagnier as there were small quantities still remaining of some wines; these are quite delicious, in the voluptuous style of the 2000 vintage, and will benefit from cellaring although the Chambolle-Musigny is just staring to drink now and is very fine with terrific, ripe Pinot Noir fruit and class. We also list below wines remaining from the 2001 vintage. All these wines are also remarkable value considering their very high quality and vineyard origins.

REMI ROLLIN, PERNAND-VERGELESSES

Remi has proven, once again, that Pernand is not a village to be forgotten about. His style is pure, bright, well-defined fruit in wines that defy popular belief in their potential for aging – so much so that it is rather more an imperative that a potential! The wines have great energy, ripe mouthwatering fruit, but there is no drop in concentration or length. The Pernand-Vergelesses white is just such a wine, with remarkable minerality and power for its category yet in 2002 it also has a rich texture. The Corton-Charlemagne is a powerful, mineral wine with a gorgeously spicy, citrussy palate and interminable length. It requires long cellar aging, and will not begin to fade for decades. The Ile des Vergelesses has terrific ripe, red fruits and beautiful tension, balance, with bright strawberry fruit, complex, spicy undertones and great depth of flavour. It is sweet and seductive and in this vintage has a massive and impressive structure finishing on ripe tannins. Well-done again to a talented and meticulous wine-maker now joined by his son at the property after gaining wine-making experience abroad.

The undertstated (like his wines)François Jobard never gives much away about what he thinks of a particular wine or vintage; he watches and waits for the customer to advance a view. In 2002, the combination of fabulous concentration, depth, texture and balancing acidity was quite amazing. These wines are all true to their Cru’s and have an opulence which is not usually apparent this early when tasting in this cellar. The Bourgogne Blanc is great value and the Meursault Villages was showing rich, honeyed fruit. It was difficult to single out one from the 1er cru wines as all showed so well and have such great potential for cellaring. A great range of wines from one of my favourite estates for white wine in Burgundy.

Alain always has such small yields that the difference between the three last fine vintages (2000, 2001, 2002) in whites is perhaps less marked than elsewhere, although, as is widely the case, the terroirs are very marked. Another great vintage for this underrated producer. The Meursault Villages is toasty, ripe, structured and chewy; the Chevalieres, as usual, elegant and very fine with superb minerality. The two 1er Crus are diametrically opposed. The Goutte d’Or is greeny-gold, tight, complex, concentrated, intensely mineral and complex. It is very fine, long and complex. The Charmes is more creamy this vintage and has a beautiful mouth-coating texture yet retains stunning minerality, freshness and balance. The Monthelie Duresses – as the name suggests, from the Auxey Duresses side of Monthelie rather than the Volnay – is Alain’s most serious red, with juicy red fruit, creamy, ripe texture, and is concentrated with a very good structure. Very more-ish and quite delicious, a lovely wine! Alain now bottles his reds much earlier to keep all the fruit.

Luc Camus is above all a vigneron, who sometimes gives the impression during tastings that he is losing time which could be better spent in the vines. It is doubtless because of his love of husbandry that his vines enjoy such longevity without the degeneration of which other growers complain. His Savigny Liards – a mere village wine – were 87 years old in 2003. In 2002 this wine, like every year, has old vine, creamy, dense texture – nothing flashy about it – just the kind of structure that comes from concentration in the vines. A terrific and great value wine. The Lavières, also from old vines, is always more mineral and is more voluptuous than usual (a hallmark of the vintage). This is long and has wonderful complexity. For sheer sensual delight, the Beaune Clos du Roi, with its soft, gentle spiciness and assertive femininity (amplified in this sensual and ripe vintage) is just a complete pleasure. Overall, this is another very fine vintage for Luc and the wines show superbly young but will also keep well.

This great domaine has been bio-dynamic for the last few years. The Bourgogne Passetoutgrains from 60 year old vines - 50% Gamay and 50% Pinot Noir – has excellent, ripe, crunchy fruit, authenticity, and surpasses most other Passetoutgrains in Burgundy with its depth of ripe, rich fruit. The creamy old-vine Grèves is showing the usual elegant and well toned red fruit and juicy acidity but with extra richness and creamy fruit. A lovely, complex and very fine wine. The Volnay Clos du Chateau des Ducs is showing remarkably well. It has superb, ripe raspberry fruit and spiciness on the nose, which is consistent with the palate. A hedonistic wine. The Clos des Chênes is all power yet backed by elegant, rich, red berry fruit and good use of oak. Structured and complex, this is a great wine in the making. The Caillerets, usually the most concentrated and masculine of the three, is all mineral fruit and latent power. This has a fabulous structure and depth but still has dark fruit, spice and great character and presence. The Pommard Pezerolles here is always a Volnay style of Pommard. In 2002 it is full of personality and positively sings with vibrant, mineral, richly textured red, juicy fruit, well enveloped, smooth tannins, persistent finish and is, as usual, a remarkably classy Pommard.

A vintage of very high quality whites and red wines here: Jean-Marc always makes concentrated wines, more so than his illustrious competitors in Puligny itself, but the low yields and high dry extract of 2002 takes them to a new and higher plane. The logic of this means, however, that I only have a handful of cases of the 1er Cru, which are all of fabulous quality, depth, complexity and show their respective terroirs very well. Having said that, the wonderfully concentrated Puligny Villages from the Meix and Enseignières vineyards is itself of 1er Cru quality. The red wines show superb richness and extra dimensions of complexity and texture. These wines need cellaring for 4-5 years before drinking. The usually reliable and high quality Pommard villages is the most approachable with seductive smokey, wild, dark fruits and rich texture with ripe tannins. The Pommard Jarollières is very deep, meaty, mineral, complex and masculine with lots of energy and depth whilst the Volnay Carelle is the opposite – elegant, very deep in colour and understated with depth, oak superbly integrated, richness and plenty in reserve.

Henri Boillot, brother of Jean-Marc, is making some of the most exciting wines in Burgundy at the moment. He has his own family vineyards (Domaine Jean Boillot) as well as a negociant business based in Meursault. He makes red and white wines from his domaine vineyards but makes principally white wines at his negociant operation. Unlike other negociants he buys only fruit and then only from those where he has an input as to how the vines and vineyard plots are tended and looked after. This results in wines of stunning complexity, concentration and purity. He also has special barrels made for him which are bigger than a normal barrique but smaller than the demi-muid (these special barrels are 350 litres in capacity and according to Henri Boillot this results in wines which are less marked by wood but which still allows him to use new oak safely). With his white wines, Henri Boillot is searching for natural concentration, freshness, purity, terroir definition and above all minerality. Henri has a stunning red wine on the negoce side in this vintage. 2002 is a very great vintage here.

Fabulous wines from Domaine Jean Boillot. Henri has made astonishing red and white wines from miniscule yields. The reds come from, as usual, very low yields after Henri Boillot had made his usual triages (selection grape by grape)in the vines and in the winery. Phenomenal wines of power, complexity and finesse. The white wines, as can be expected, are really quite special and here is an instance where it is difficult to separate the domaine and negociant wines in terms of absolute quality.

1. Prices are in £ per dozen bottles carriage paid to in bond delivered to Edinburgh.
2. Duty and VAT charges are due at prevailing rates when wine has been shipped and cleared from bonded warehouse. Onward delivery charges to customers’ addresses will be charged at cost.
3. Wines are offered subject to availability and prices are subject to alteration.
4. TERMS ARE CASH WITH ORDER PLEASE. (POA = Price On Application).