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: 2016 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-St-Georges 1er Cru "Les Vaucrains"

2016 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-St-Georges 1er Cru "Les Vaucrains" (Pre-Arrival)

SKU #1386472 94 points John Gilman

Outer quote mark In most vintages, there is a very nice row of barrels of Vaucrains in the Gouges cellars, but with the microscopic yields of 2016, there are only five casks here this year. This is a shame, as this wine is stunning, soaring from the glass in a complex mélange of red and black cherries, cassis, woodsmoke, bitter chocolate, lovely minerality and a gently floral topnote redolent of lavender. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and rock solid at the core, with a very soil-driven in personality, ripe, well-integrated tannins and a very long, very pure and promising finish. Just add time! (Drink between 2030-2080) Inner quote mark (11/2017)

92-94 points Vinous

Outer quote mark Healthy dark red. Slightly medicinal aromas of black cherry and chocolate are complicated by a whiff of animal fur. Plush and fine-grained, offering lovely pliancy to the flavors of dark berries, chocolate and tobacco; plumper than the Les Saint-Georges but without that wine's definition and cut. The very rich tannins coat the front teeth but this very ripe wine is already quite expressive. (ST) Inner quote mark (1/2018)

91-94 points Burghound

Outer quote mark A brooding nose only reluctantly reveals notes of ripe and ultra-fresh dark currant, earth and a smoked game nuance. There is outstanding density to the powerful, robust and bold big-bodied flavors that possess seriously good concentration where the sap does a good job of buffering the very firm tannic spine shaping the superbly persistent finish. This is textbook Vaucrains and as such, it's going to need extended cellaring. Inner quote mark (1/2018)

91 points Decanter

Outer quote mark Cropped at a mere 8hl/ha, the Vaucrains opens in the glass with notes of myrtille, wild plums, a touch of balsamic cherry with seemingly a touch of volatile acidity in this barrel, pepper and meaty game bird. On the palate the wine is sapid, and even firmer and more austere than the Pruliers. Drinking Window 2026 - 2046. (WK) Inner quote mark (10/2017)

K&L Notes

91-95pts Jasper Morris (MW): "Just 11hl/ha. Rich purple. Lots going on with the nose but some muddied notes too and a suggestion of volatility. A rich hearty mouthful even some briary notes and minerals which resemble stems but cannot be. The volatility blows off. This is incredibly dense. As the notes suggest, I found interpreting this wine very difficult, but if the positive aspects prevail it will be brilliant." (01/2018) 96pts Tim Atkin (MW): "Grégory Gouges has dealt brilliantly with the difficult growing conditions of 2016 to produce a string of brilliant wines. This is a classic, firm, savoury Nuits Premier Cru showing some added freshness from the proximity of the Combe des Vallerots. Plush, spicy and structured with very well married oak. 2026-38." (01/2018)

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2016 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-St-Georges 1er Cru "Les Vaucrains"

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Additional Information:

Varietal:

Pinot Noir

- One of France's most legendary grapes and the grape that earned Burgundy its reputation. The parent of varietals like Pinot Gris/Grigio and Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir is blue to violet to indigo in color with relatively thin skins, and it is said to have been cultivated in France for more than 2,000 years. At its best, Pinot Noir creates elegant wines that are filled with primary red fruit aromas and flavors while young, revealing with an array of secondary characteristics like earth, smoke, violet, truffle and game with age. The varietal is also known, perhaps better than any, for its ability to translate terroir, or a sense of place. While the best Pinot Noir still comes from Burgundy, it is being produced with increasing success in cooler climates around the world. In France, it is part of the trifecta of grapes that can go into Champagne, and it is also grown in Alsace, Irancy, Jura, Savoie, Lorraine and Sancerre. Outside of France it is produced under the names Pinot Nero and Blauburgunder in Italy's mountainous regions, as Spätburgunder in Germany and as Blauburgunder in Austria. In the US, Pinot Noir has found suitable growing conditions in the cooler parts of California, including Carneros, the Russian River Valley, the Anderson Valley, the Sonoma Coast, Monterey County, the Santa Lucia Highlands and Santa Barbara County, as well as in Oregon's Willamette Valley. In recent years, New Zealand has demonstrated its ability to interpret this hard-to-grow varietal, with successful bottlings coming from careful and attentive growers in Central Otago, Martinborough and Canterbury. Chile is also an up-and-coming region for Pinot Noir, creating fresh, fruit-forward, early-drinking and affordable Pinots from the coastal Casablanca Valley and the Limari Valley.

Country:

France

- When it comes to wine, France stands alone. No other country can beat it in terms of quality and diversity. And while many of its Region, Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne most obviously, produce wine as rare, as sought-after and nearly as expensive as gold, there are just as many obscurities and values to be had from little known appellations throughout the country. To learn everything there is to know about French wine would take a lifetime. To understand and appreciate French wine, one only has to begin tasting them.

Sub-Region:

Burgundy

- The province of eastern France, famous for its red wines produced from Pinot Noir and its whites produced from Chardonnay. (Small of amounts of Gamay and Aligoté are still grown, although these have to be labeled differently.) The most famous part of the region is known as the Côte d'Or (the Golden Slope). It is divided into the Côte de Beaune, south of the town of Beaune (famous principally for its whites), and the Côte de Nuits, North of Beaune (home of the most famous reds). In addition, the Côte Chalonnaise and the Mâconnais are important wine growing regions, although historically a clear level (or more) below the Côte d'Or. Also include by some are the regions of Chablis and Auxerrois, farther north.

Specific Appellation:

Nuits Saint Georges

- A long, narrow appellation, and the southernmost commune of importance in the Côtes de Nuits. Nuits St. Georges tend to be sturdy, muscular wines, which are tannic in their youth. There are no Grands Cru in the town, but several Premier Cru vineyards. The wines from the north side of the village, towards Vosne-Romanée are distinctly different in character than those from the southern vineyards. The vineyards traditionally among the best are in the South, including Cailles, Vaucrains, St. Georges, and Argillières. These vineyards are on deep brown limestone. The northern vineyards, on the other side of the river Meuzin, have more in common with those of Vosne Romanée. The vineyards are composed of pebbles and limestone, and the wines have more of the finesse and elegance of Vosne, but with the structure of Nuits St. Georges.