Nuits-Saint-Georges
1er Cru Clos des Argillières 2019
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
Halfway between Dijon and Beaune, and with an easterly exposure, the vineyards of Nuits-Saint-Georges extend over 6 kilometres, with 140 hectares of Premier Cru vines. The range of soils, exposure and locations here creates a great diversity of terroirs. The area is bisected by the valley of the small Meuzin river, and the village itself.
The premier cru "Les Argillières" is located in Prémeaux-Prissey, at the top of the hill. The slope is particularly steep. The name 'Argillière' comes from an exploitation of clay which was in place of this climate.
Viticulture
Grape variety: pinot noir
Soils: clay-limestone, presence of pebbles.
Orientation: East
Surface area under vine: 0.3191 ha
Pruning: Guyot system
Yield: 15 hL/ha
Average age of the vines: 75 years old.
Vinification
Harvest date: 21 September 2019.
The grapes were handpicked. First sorting in the vineyard, second on the sorting table upon receipt of the harvest.
At the winery: 20% of grapes were destemmed but not crushed (they were left whole) and were gravity-fed into tanks. Maceration with 80% whole bunches lasted a total of 17 days including 3 days of cold maceration (12°C). Fermentation used indigenous yeasts only (no additives such as enzymes or tannins were used). 4 punchings of the cap. Vinification without sulfur.
Ageing
Maturation: aged on the lees for 15 months with no racking using a proportion of 50% new French oak barrels.
Barrels: French oak barrels that had been toasted at low temperatures for a long time for very delicate oaking.
Bottling
Bottling: the wine was not fined but was very gently filtered before being bottled using gravity in February 2021.
Number of bottles: 596.
Vintage
A legendary vintages?
According to Grégory Patriat, this second harvest at the Ursulines winery will go down as a legendary vintage just like 1969, 1979, 1999, 2009, and 2019, because the concentration in the wines is very high indeed. Years with drought and low yields are always great vintages in Burgundy. We had some new premier crus come online last year, with three in Chambolle-Musigny, one in Gevrey-Chambertin, and one in Nuits-Saint-Georges; Le Clos des Argillères. Furthermore, we revived our tradition of producing white wines in villages better known for their reds, with a white Fixin.
Ageing potential: 7 years and more.
Tasting notes
The color is a beautiful intense purple red. The complex nose exhales aromas of violets, blackcurrant and raspberries embellished with toasted notes. On the palate, this wine reveals an attack on saline notes. Its silky and powerful structure offers a lingering finish!
