2013 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-Saint-Georges Clos des Porrets-Saint-Georges 1er Cru

The 2013 Nuits Saint-Georges Clos des Porrets Saint-Georges 1er Cru has a gentle but irresistible bouquet with vivid red cherries, bergamot and wild hedgerow scents that billow from the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with a little chewiness on the entry. There is an edginess to the red fruit here and towards the finish that the texture almost becomes brittle. But there is a sense of energy in situ endowed with wonderful delineation. This appears to have meliorated in recent months. Tasted at the Gouges retrospective at La Cabotte.

Tasted blind at the Burgfest tasting in Beaune, the 2013 Nuits Saint Georges 1er Cru Clos des Porrets Saint Georges has a gorgeous bouquet with lucid red cherry and crushed strawberry fruit, fine mineralité and tension plus well-integrated oak. The palate is fresh and lively with vivid red cherry and crushed strawberry notes (again), fine tannin and good weight. There is still some oak towards the finish to be subsumed but otherwise this is a well-crafted, linear Nuits Saint Georges with style and nuance. It will probably drink a little sooner than the 2013 Pruliers. Tasted September 2016.

Lively and pure, ripe and a slight note of dried fruit on the palate. Firm, generous, more character than elegance. (JH)