Nuits-Saint-Georges
1er Cru Clos des Argillières 2020
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: 18 hL/ha
Average age of the vines: 76 years old.
Vinification
Harvest date: 5 September 2020.
The grapes were handpicked. First sorting in the vineyard, second on the sorting table upon receipt of the harvest.
At the winery: 10% of grapes were destemmed but not crushed (they were left whole) and were gravity-fed into tanks. Maceration with 90% whole bunches lasted a total of 18 days including 3 days of cold maceration (12°C). Fermentation used indigenous yeasts only (no additives such as enzymes or tannins were used). 3 punchings of the cap. Vinification without sulfur.
Ageing
Maturation: aged on the lees for 16 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 2022.
Number of bottles: : 740 bottles & 12 jeroboams.
Vintage
Balanced and concentrated
The harvests happened back-to-front! They began with the reds ripening before the whites. The harvest was very disease-free but we had to eliminate sunburnt berries, especially in the case of the Pinot Noir vines as the Chardonnays had coped better with the heat. Quality was definitely good, but relatively low juice yields has resulted in Pinot Noirs with high colour and aromatic intensity. On the other hand, the Chardonnay vines produced adequate yields with a good balance of sugar and acidity. This optimal ripeness enabled us to harvest the red grapes in certain plots according to the ‘vendange entière’ approach, where stalks are fermented along with the grapes. 'Lots of lovely colour in the reds, with very high polyphenol content, firm tannins and excellent levels of acidity. Looks set to be a year with great cellaring potential. Summer fruit coulis notes definitely have the upper hand in this year’s vintage! The whites are nicely-balanced, but it’s too early to be more precise. Watch this space…’ Grégory Patriat.
Ageing potential: between 7 and 15 years.
Awards
Bourgogne Aujourd'hui Magazine - 14.5/20
Tasting notes
The color is a beautiful dark red with purple reflections. The complex nose exhales intense aromas of peonies, black fruits and spicy notes. On the palate, this wine reveals a powerful attack with substance and a nice underlying acidity.
