2006 Nuits St Georges

The Gouges 2006 Nuits-St.-Georges displays a cool yet enveloping fresh red fruit and mint character. Silken textured and buoyant, it picks up notes of pepper and cardamom en route to a soothingly satisfying finish. I imagine this will remain lovely for at least 4-5 years although it is ideal for enjoying sooner. To hear Christian Gouges tell – and, indeed, to taste the wines – there was nothing terribly problematic about 2006 or exceptional about his approach to it; he considers his (in the context of this vintage) relatively low finished alcohols of 12.5-13% ideal; and he says the wines all clarified beautifully without fining or filtration. I find the denser, more structured 2005s here are completely routed by the 2006s' charm offensive, though perhaps a return engagement half a dozen or more years from now will prove a fairer fight. Importer: Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; tel. (205) 980-8802