Nuits St Georges, Clos de La Maréchale, 1er Cru, 2017

A beautifully-judged Marechale, a genuine terroir wine but one that presents itself in the most elegant and Mugnier-esque of ways. This shows its Nuit origins - with a certain muscle and minerality - yet the texture is smooth, the muscle toned and the fruit flavours bright and precise. There is density and depth but not at the expense of finesse or drinkability. The flavours are pin-point precise but flowing and pliable - bright notes of red and dark cherry, loganberry and bramble with glittering highlights of salt and minerals. At 9ha it is the largest monopole in the Côte d’Or. Based in the Premeaux Prissey commune, where the wines are very structured, Clos de La Marechale is built for ageing. Freddy Mugnier’s skill has been in taming the naturally tannic character of the wines without suppressing any vineyard expression.