The estate’s 2009 Nuits St. Georges Les Vaucrains is a wine of considerable freshness and finesse. Here the floral aromas and dark red fruit are beautifully woven together in a fabric of unusual class. The Vaucrains dazzles from start to finish with its expansive, generous personality and superb overall balance. Gouges says the Vaucrains is a harder wine to grasp than some of the others. That may be, but not in 2009. It is the most finessed of these offerings, and is simply fabulous. Tasted from tank. Anticipated maturity: 2019-2034. This is a striking set of 2009s from Gouges. The estate is pursuing a slightly updated style in trying to make the entry-level wines more accessible early on. According to Gregoire Gouges the approach to the higher end wines remains the same, which is to say these remain sturdy Burgundies that benefit immensely from cellaring. The harvest at Gouges began on September 15. The fruit was 100% destemmed. Vinification started with a 3 day cold soak (at only modestly cold temperatures) followed by 10-15 days of cuvaison. The wines were racked after the malos, the lees were removed, and the wines were put back into barrel, where they finished (or were finishing) their elevage. All of the wines were aged in 20% new oak barrels.Importer: Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; tel. (205) 980-8802

The 2009 Nuits St. Georges Les Vaucrains comes across as quite understated and reserved. It possesses lovely freshness and an understated, classy personality that hasn’t fully come together in bottle. The wine’s energy, verve and deep finish all bode very well for the future. This is a terrific showing from Gouges. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2029. Importer: Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; tel. (205) 980-8802