2015 Domaine Alain Michelot Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Vaucrains

Community Tasting Notes (4) Avg Score: 92 points

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  2/2/2024 - sid_loves_wine Likes this wine: 92 Points

  Absolutely wonderful except for one thing holding it back- the structure. The fruit is beautiful, ripe, and complex, with deep black cherry compote, almost veering into a muddled blueberry vibe, and there's a nice dose of earthiness that never gets in the way of the fruit- a bit of soil, leather, dark herbal shades, faint minerality, and so on. Smells like a great example of Burgundy from a hot vintage, with thick fruit that still appears "fresh" and aromatic. Then you get to the palate. This is very possibly- no, definitely- the MOST TANNIC Pinot Noir I've ever tried, from any region or vintage. Extremely coarse, furry, and gritty. Lingers on the tongue like sandpaper. Sure, the acidity and fruit are still there, but this is harsher, texturally, than many a young Nebbiolo or Left-Bank Bordeaux. Food is DESPERATELY needed for this wine, with some fatty charcuterie taking some of the edge off. Then again, maybe what it really needs is a lot more time. I bet this could be considerably better in like 10-15 years, which is something I almost never say about any wine, let alone Pinot.

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  7/15/2023 - SeattleKen wrote:

  Deep color, which isn’t surprising for a Vaucrains before 15 years. On pouring, nose was noticeable from a distance, suggesting this may be coming out. Sweet marionberries and dirt. Up close, there is the austere tannins (dirt) I’d expect from NSG. It’s clear that this is a fast-maturing Vaucrains. Pancreatitis is spot on that this is a more feminine Vaucrains— or at least a premature one. Still awesome and revealing qualities New World Pinot could only dream of achieving because of those austere tannins that define NSG. A fine example of vaucrains from a less than optimal vintage. In terms of longevity, I’d say it’s ideal now and for the next five years at least; it’s not a sleeper that needs (or potentially could survive) ten years (but who knows?). It’s got the fruit and the tannins to improve in the short and medium term for Vaucrains. In terms of food pairings, this is still Vaucrains and so I’d pair it now with a lighter meat dish and roasted mushroom (not my normal pinot go-to— roasted PacNW salmon). In the longer term (4-5 years or longer, if it survives), it would be perfect with fatty salmon after some of the tannins soften.

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  3/28/2023 - Pancreatitis wrote:

  Dark purple-red.
  So sturdy and lithe go together in the same sentence? Certainly this is a muscular Nuits, 5 years since my last taste has transformed this into an almost feminine rendition: sandalwood, black cherries, strawberries, complex floral scents frames a still quite robust, mineral wine, yet the prominent tannins are gentle and soft, BBQ meats and charcuterie, cola, a multifaceted wine. Delicious.

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  11/18/2018 - Pancreatitis wrote:

  This was a different beast entirely to the Champs-Perdrix and Cailles, very distinctively different nose with prominent savoury element, soy, animale, sweaty saddle leather, very savoury, saline palate which was again extremely concentrated and tannic. Overall this was my most fascinating wine of the tasting, whilst youthfully closed it reminded me of a muscular 1969 Corton I drank last year.

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