Wine Advisor
Henri Gouges, Nuits St Georges 2016
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Description
It is the fruit of a blending of 5 climates: the Plateaux, Belles Croix, Fleurières, Brûlées, and the Chaliots, for a surface area of 2 hectares. All of these parcels are located at the south of Nuits Saint Georges, at the start of the hillside, on deep soils, with a blending of clay, alluvium and limestone gravels. These wines are pure and generous, and need a few years before being tasted, to show their true potential.
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
(includes the estate's premier crus Les Chaignots and Les Chènes Carteaux in 2016 as these two lots were too tiny to vinify on their own): Bright dark red. Inviting aromas of red and black cherry, minerals and earth. At once ripe and cool in the mouth, with slightly medicinal blueberry, blackberry and licorice flavors complemented by menthol and mint nuances. A juicy, chewy, nicely ripe village wine, no doubt given more volume by the inclusion of the premier cru fruit. Finishes with firm, slightly dusty tannins and noteworthy persistence.
About the Producer
Domaine Henri Gouges is located in the Nuits-Saint-Georges wine region of Burgundy, France, and is one of the best known wineries in the region. Château Henri Gouges is owned by the Gouges family. The family has been growing grapes for several generations. Today the family owns Château Henegault, which was purchased in 1919. The estate currently has 14.5 hectares of vineyards, including six first growths in Nuit St Georges. All the grapes harvested at the winery are destemmed and then fermented in concrete vats for approximately 15 days. Once fermentation is complete, the wine is transferred to small oak barrels, about a quarter of which are renewed annually. The wines are bottled at the Château using egg whites to underglaze and filter them before being bottled at the estate. The wines produced by Château Henegault in the 1940s and 1950s were full-bodied, aromatic and restrained, ideal for ageing. Later, due to the renewal of the vines in the vineyard, the wines produced in the 1970s and 1980s were much lighter in body. Today, Château Henegault can once again produce powerful, complex wines. Demand for Henrico's wines has always outstripped supply because of the strict control over quality and production. The wines produced by the estate are now increasingly difficult to find and have become the object of many wine lovers' collections.
