2010 Nuits St Georges Chenes Carteaux

The 2010 Nuits St. Georges Les Chenes Carteaux is soft, supple, silky and beautifully balanced. Layers of black fruit, cassis, spices and licorice wrap around the palate in this sensual, caressing wine. Everything here is about textural elegance. There is lovely volume in the glass. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2025. I was a bit surprised by the wines I tasted with Gregoire Gouges. Over the last few years Gouges has worked to make some of his entry-level offerings more accessible, but I noted that quality across the board in the 2010s, which is quite out of character not only for the house, but for virtually all 2010s from important sites. Of course the wines are still mostly in barrel. It will be interesting to see the direction the 2010s take over the next year. The 2010s were made from 100% destemmed fruit and aged in French oak barrels, 20% new. The malos were slow in 2010, and finished in June. The wines were racked for the first time in August. Except as noted, I tasted the 2010s from barrel. Gouges made the decision to move some of his wines into tank in order to preserve freshness. Importer: Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; tel. (205) 980-8802

Bright, dark red. Reduced aromas of cherry, redcurrant, minerals and chocolate. Suave, silky and fleshy but tight; shows more presence in the mouth than the Vosne-side Chaignots, as well as an earthy complexity to the tangy red cherry flavor. Finishes firmly tannic and persistent, with the structure to age. Incidentally, Gregory Gouges is convinced that the 2010 premier crus will need at least three or four years of bottle aging, "but seven or eight would be better."