Nuits-Saint-Georges
1er Cru Les Pruliers 2018
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 Pruliers" is located above our plot "Belle Croix" in the middle of the hill south of the village. The soil is brown, silty in nature with calcareous gravel. In the region, the tree was called a "pruyer". In the past, there were many rowan trees in the plot.
Viticulture
Grape variety: pinot noir
Soils: silty brown with limestone pebbles.
Orientation: East
Surface area under vine: 0.5517 ha
Pruning: Guyot system
Yield: 41 hL/ha
Average age of the vines: 50 years old.
Vinification
Harvest date: 17 September 2018.
The grapes were sorted a first time in the vineyard and a second time on the sorting table when they arrived at the winery.
At the winery: the grapes were 25% destemmed and were gravity-fed into tanks. Maceration with 50% whole bunches of 17 days including 4 days of cold maceration (12°C). Fermentation used indigenous yeasts only (no additives such as enzymes or tannins were used). 2 punchings of the cap. Vinification without sulfur.
Ageing
Maturation: aged on the lees for 18 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 gently filtered before being bottled in March 2020.
Number of bottles: 1,216.
Vintage
2018, abundance and excellence
After a winter that was almost too mild, the vintage was notable for two contrasting periods. Spring was sunny and totally devoid of frost, despite some localized episodes of hail, which had major impact on certain plots on the Côte de Nuits, which were hit in June. Then the summer was dry and hot, blocking the ripening process in places. Picking began early, with exceptionally abundant fruit in tip-top condition, offering the potential for some very fine wines.
Ageing potential: 10 years and more.
Tasting notes
The color is a beautiful ruby red. The nose exudes intense aromas of cherries and blackberries embellished with floral and toasted notes. On the palate, this powerful and perfectly structured wine reveals a nice concentration. A noble wine!
