Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er cru Les Vaucrains, Henri Gouges 2022

With 14.5 ha of excellent 1er cru holdings, Domaine Henri Gouges produces some of the most highly regarded wines in Nuits-Saint-Georges. All the vines are cultivated organically and have an impressive average of 50 years, with some as old as 90. It is a historical, family domaine, now run by Grégory Gouges and his cousin Antoine, both from the fourth generation of the family.

It dates from Henri Gouges’s return from the Great War and subsequently he was one of the first to market domaine-bottled burgundies. Our visits invariably start beside a venerable raised-relief map of the Côte de Nuits – each vineyard hand-painted – which hangs on a wall in their townhouse headquarters. Grégory will then explain how their organic methods have been adapted to that year’s specific climatic conditions. The domaine produces, in our opinion, deliciously intense wines, with tannins which are softer than those of many wines from the village. Grégory puts this down to not only better vineyard work, but also to employing gravity rather than pumping the wines around the winery. This was built in 2007 and each spotless concrete tank is the perfect size for each vineyard. A high proportion of whole bunch fermentation is also favoured.