(Please see my overview of the 2018 vintage in the Côte d’Or here.)
Christophe Drag said that he started harvesting on 8 September and until 12 September the sugars (and hence resulting alcohols) were correct; after that date, the sugars rose very fast, and so he sold off all that was harvested after the 12th. All grapes were destemmed. About 20% new oak in the village wines, 20-30% in the premier cru wines. Malolactic fermentations finished in June and July.
The vines here were affected by the first (15 July) of the three hails that hit Nuits-Saint-Georges in 2018, but the vines in the Rue de Chaux vineyard and all on the Côte de Vosne were spared; thus, it was Les Poulettes, Perrières, and Vaucrains that suffered from the hail, resulting in a loss of 1/3 of the crop in those vineyards.
This is an fine selection of wines, worthy of your consideration should you come across them.
2018 Bourgogne Pinot Noir
Fresh red fruits in nose and mouth, medium-light body, elegant, fresh. (87-89)
2018 Vosne-Romanée
From the Aux Ravioles lieu-dit. Dark fruits, smoky, spicy nose. Elegant dark plum flavors, smooth texture, good length. (89-91)
2018 Nuits-Saint-Georges
Mineral dark fruits in nose. Rich texture, smooth, dark plum fruits, round, some tannins on finish. (90-92)
2018 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Aux Argillas
Elegant, dark fruits, some minerality, pure, calm. Smooth velvet texture. (91-93)
2018 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Damodes
Denser than Argillas and more tannic structure. Deep, pure, but needs some cellaring. (92-94)
2018 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Bousselots
Stony nose. In mouth, good structure, dark fruits, stony, mineral, very good density and freshness. (92-94)
2018 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Rue de Chaux
We’ve moved now to the vineyards south of Nuits, and so as one would expect, more structure here. Dark fruit, stony, will need time in cellar. Excellent depth, balance, freshness. (92-94)
2018 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Poulettes
Intense, sensual, dark fruits, spices, complex. Tannic finish. (92-94)
2018 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Perrières
Stony nose. In mouth, dark fruit, violets, minerality, finesse, energy, some tension. Rich, velvet texture. (92-95)
2018 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Vaucrains
Stony Vaucrains nose. Rich in mouth, intense, deep, dark fruits, maybe a little less structure than usual; some creaminess. (92-95)