Nuits St. Georges-Mostly Chevillon and Mugnier

This was an interesting tasting with some vertical and some horizontal elements.

• 2011 Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Clos de la Maréchale

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru

  Fairly deep color. Fragrant with candied fruit. Then, surprisingly cool style, lots of green elements atop light red fruit. Medium to lighter weight (actually the lightest wine of the flight), some earth, not much of a finish. The greener elements actually come up quite a bit and are worrisome in terms of the long term health and balance of the wine.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2010 Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Clos de la Maréchale

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru

  Blueberry scents. Fuller, rounder and deeper than the 2011. Black cherry, licorice flavors. Longer with more sap, substance and chewiness than the younger vintage without losing its essential elegance. Serious, backward, some soil, fine acidity. The best of these 3 vintages by a large margin.

  Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2009 Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Clos de la Maréchale

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru

  Ripe and floral smelling with some wood present. Very 2009 style-ripe, rounder, mouth coating with a tarry finish. The fruit leans to the blacker side. Good length, quite tannic, not nearly as vibrant as the 2010.

  Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2011 Domaine Robert Chevillon Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Chaignots

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru

  Bright red. Very floral red fruit with some wood char. Lovely light weight, wonderfully smooth feel, chocolatey, tannic back end. Increasingly perfumed as it sat open. Very pretty, and despite its tannin, it still has early accessibility. For its level in the Chevillon hierarchy, it really outperformed in my mind.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2011 Domaine Robert Chevillon Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Cailles

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru

  More confectionary black cherry aromatics. In contrast, light and elegant on the palate: supple red fruit with prominent green notes. Higher acid, lighter weight, and less of a finish than the Chaignots. Not harmonious at all today. This is the second time I've tasted this, and it only reinforced my serious reservations about the balance and dominant presence of pyrazines. Caution advised.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2011 Domaine Robert Chevillon Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Vaucrains

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru

  Perfumed blue and red fruit. Berryish quality, slightly fuller than the Cailles but more penetrating acidity and great impact on the palate. Smooth, round, generous and long. Rich, sappy, serious black fruit and excellent punch at the end. Lots of buried tannin. A complete young wine with tremendous potential.

  Read 2 Comments / Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2009 Domaine Robert Chevillon Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Chaignots

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru

  More spice and earth aromas than any of the 2011 Chevillons. Some funk. Medium ruby. Cherry, lots of soil. Fuller feel, slightly sweeter fruit than in the 2011s, some light herbs, sound acidity and tannins, good penetration. I liked this much more than the '09 Mugnier, and again, a really nice showing for one of the Chevillons not in "the big three".

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2010 Maison Roche de Bellene Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Aux Boudots

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru

  Full ruby. Reserved but some dark fruit aromatics. Medium weight. Lovely texture with good expansion in the mouth. Black fruit, fine tannins, lean finish. Excellent and it struck me as classic Nuits.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2011 Domaine de L'Arlot Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Clos de l'Arlot Blanc

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru

  Medium yellow. Pear fruit nose. Round and lush with both yellow apple and pear, moderate oak. Lower acidity. One toned and not that interesting. I wonder how much Pinot Blanc is in the cepage.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

Overall, this highlighted producers who emphasize the tamer, more elegant side of Nuits. Of the 3 young Mugniers, the 2010 took the prize. Both vintages of the Chevillon Chaignot showed extremely well, and the Roche de Bellene Boudots was a pleasant surprise. Although the number of 2011s was small, there are enough anecdotal experiences to suggest that some wines will indeed be tainted by too much green in them.