Nuits-Saint-Georges
Le Coteau des Bois 2017
Nuits-Saint-Georges is one of those magical names that visitors recite like a rosary. Known the whole world over, Nuits-Saint-Georges has the original profile of a genuine wine village, but on the scale of a small town.
Origin
Famed the world over, Nuits-Saint-Georges has the original character of a true wine village but the size of a small town. Halfway between Dijon and Beaune, and with an easterly exposure, the vineyards of Nuits-Saint-Georges spread over 6 kilometres, with 160ha of Village-appelation vines. The range of soils, exposure and locations here creates a great diversity of terroirs. The area is bisected by the valley of the Meuzin river, and the village itself.
The grapes were selected a ten meters or so from our winery, "Les Ursulines", on the plot "Le Coteau des Bois". This very deep plot is exposed full-east and adjacent to the Bois de Charmois.
Viticulture
Grape variety: pinot noir
Soils: limestone brown, fairly thin soil, lots of pebbles.
Orientation: East
Surface area under vine: 0.86 ha
Pruning: Guyot system
Yield: 45 hL/ha
Average age of the vines: 30 years old.
Vinification
Harvest date: 12 September 2017.
The grapes were handpicked. They were sorted a first time in the vineyard and again on the sorting table when they arrived at the winery.
At the winery: the grapes were 100% destemmed but not crushed (they were left whole) and were gravity-fed into tanks. Maceration of 21 days of which 5 days cold (12 ° C): Fermentation used indigenous yeasts only (no additives such as enzymes or tannins were used). 4 punchings of the cap.
Ageing
Maturation: aged on the lees for 18 months with no racking using a proportion of 35% new French oak barrels.
Barrels: French oak barrels that had been toasted at low temperatures for a long time to impart a very delicate touch of oak to the wine.
Bottling
Bottling: The wine was not fined but was very gently filtered before being bottled using gravity in March 2019.
Number of bottles: 5,174.
Vintage
2017 – Finesse
The growing cycle was thrown off-kilter by a very cold winter, late spring frost, then optimal conditions for rapid flowering, sporadic hail, and summer drought. Harvesting began in early September in the sun, and after several lean years, the vines finally produced abundant grapes, although with significant differences in maturity between whites and reds and from one region to another, which called for strict sorting.
Ageing potential: from 7 to 10 years.
Tasting notes
The color is brilliant ruby red. The frank nose exudes aromas of fresh red fruit and black pepper, enhanced with some toasted notes. On the palate, this very structured wine reveals robust tannins and peppery notes felt on the nose.