Gregory Gouges called the vintage “friand” (lovable) and fresh, and so he will bottle earlier than usual in order to preserve those qualities. Some wines had already been racked into stainless steel holding tanks when I visited. Bottling was scheduled to begin in December with the village Nuits.
Yields in 2017 were close to 40 hl/ha (high for this estate), with Vaucrains and Les Saint-Georges coming it at about 35 hl/ha. There was some green harvest to contain the yields. Malo-lactic fermentations were very fast for both colors, finished by Christmas.
2017 Bourgogne Pinot Noir
The nose here is very attractive with red cherries, kirsch, and white pepper. The kirsch and griotte cherry continue in the mouth with a smooth texture and very good purity. This will be an excellent wine for very early drinking. (87-89)
2017 Nuits-Saint-Georges
Here the fruit is darker, although there is still some kirsch showing. The wine is light in body and has some tannins. (87-90)
2017 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Chaignots
The Chaignots displays good depth, structure, density, and purity with slightly spicy dark fruits. (90-92)
2017 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Chênes Carteaux
The Chênes Carteaux has a smooth texture with dark fruit, slight salinity, and lightness on the palate. (88-91)
2017 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Clos des Porrets Saint-Georges
The nose of the Clos des Porrets is complex with spices and a touch of earth to go with the fruit. The mouth is smooth with dark fruits that are direct and pure. This is another early drinker with no strong tannin element showing. (90-93)
2017 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Pruliers
Here the fruit is darker and the wine is deeper than the Clos des Porrets. The wine is smooth and pure with a bit more concentration and structure than in the foregoing wines. (91-93)
2017 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Vaucrains
The nose and mouth show Vaucrains stones along with pepper and red and dark berries. This is a good example of the Vaucrains terroir. (92-94)
2017 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Saint-Georges
The Les Saint-Georges is stony and slightly smoky in the nose. The wine has excellent concentration for the vintage and depth to its dark fruits. The Les Saint-Georges smoothness of texture is here, too. (92-95)
A 2016 from bottle:
2016 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Pruliers
The nose here has stony aromas. The mouth shows excellent concentration to go with stony blue fruits. The wine is pure and has good structure without being too rigid or tannic. Some salinity on the finish. 93/A
And finally, two 2017 whites from bottle:
2017 Bourgogne blanc
This wine, from the Pinot Gouges mutation of Pinot Noir, is pure and round with quite a bit of volume and creaminess. The wine displays good structure, minerality, and length. Theres some sucrosity that gives roundness but no apparent sweetness. 89/A
2017 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru La Perrière
The nose is floral, and that continues in the mouth. There’s some sucrosity here, too, to provide richness. The wine is mineral and intense with good depth and drive, although the acidity gives a relaxed feeling overall. 91/A-