Henri Gouges Nuits-St-Georges 1er Cru 'Les Chaignots' 2021
The Wine
Domaine Henri Gouges has changed its style from classical, dark Nuits-Saint-Georges to more fruity, forward wines. Furthermore, it has done so without losing complexity, while simultaneously adding drinkability and vivacity.
The 2021s have been made with an unusually light hand at Gouges, and the elevage was quite short, i.e. from August-December 2022 for even the bigger guns. Normal elevage would be three to six months longer, so this adaptation is both exciting and promising in a lighter vintage like 2021.
92 points Decanter “This striking wine is immediately recognizable by its ripe plummy fruit with floral and spice notes. The fruit aromas are pure and elegant and lead seamlessly to the texture on the palate that has good density and depth and firm tannic grip but nothing astringent or rustic. The grapes come from the only parcel the domaine farms on the northern (Vosne) side of the village, where they have 0.46 hectares in the steep southeast-facing slopes covered with limestone scree from the Combe de la Serrée.”
92 points John Gilman “The Gouges family’s 2021 Chaignots is a fine bottle. The bouquet offers up a refined constellation of red and black cherries, pigeon, bonfire, a fine base of soil that already shows nice autumnal shadings, a deft framing of new oak and a hint of chipotle in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and nicely transparent down to its soil, with a fine core of fruit, ripe tannins and excellent focus and grip on the long, seamlessly balanced and very classy finish. Lovely wine. 2033-2085+.”
92 points Jasper Morris MW “Medium deep crimson colour. The nose shows an assured ripeness of red berry fruit, supported by a little new oak (20%). Very pretty and quite floral on the nose, yet much more solid red fruit weight on the palate, with a little vanilla from the oak playing at the edges. Good length. Drink from 2026-2031.”
91 points 'Outstanding' Burghound “Note: from <.50 ha parcel of 30+ year old vines. Markedly spicier aromas include those of red pinot fruit, blueberry and a hint of exotic tea. The rich, velvety and vibrant medium weight flavors also flash evident minerality on the balanced, lingering and solidly complex finale. As is sometimes the case, in 2021 this is more Vosne in style than Nuits.”
The Details
Variety - Pinot Noir
Country - France
Region - Burgundy
Sub Region - Nuits-St-Georges
Extra - Cork
Year - 2021
Volume - 750ml
Domaine Henri Gouges is situated in the town of Nuits-Saint-Georges, in the Burgundy region. Established in 1919 by Henri Gouges, the estate remains in the hands of the Gouges family. Henri was one of the earliest producers to eschew the then-corrupt Burgundian trading system. Beginning in the 1920s, he committed to bottling his wine on-site, which was an uncommon practice at that time. During the 1930s, as Burgundian appellations were being established, he led a successful campaign to prevent the vineyards of Nuits-Saint-Georges from being classified as Grands Crus, while serving as the village's mayor and a member of the INAO. Presently, Domaine Henri Gouges spans 14.5 hectares with plots across seven Premier Cru classified sites. The estate primarily produces wines from Pinot Noir, with a small production of white wines.
