Nuits St Georges, Les Vaucrains, 1er Cru, 2023
Aromatic splendour, with stones and mineral notes mingling with very pure fruit tones. Hugely compelling, with a very fine freshness to the fruit and all the mineral exactitude you would expect from Vaucrains. Long and fine, with persistent, tightly grained complexity. Seriously good Pinot Noir. One of the great vineyards of Nuits that often rivals Les St Georges, above which it sits directly, albeit in a more brooding and muscular style.
critic reviews
The 2023 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Vaucrains is especially good this year. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of dark berry preserves, cassis, spices, vine smoke and dark chocolate, it's full-bodied, deep and layered, with rich tannins, ripe acids and a long, perfumed finish. The inherent charm of the vintage has tempered this site's tendency to imposing structure to deliver an unusually open young Vaucrains.
The 2023 Nuits Saint-Georges Les Vaucrains 1er Cru has the most floral bouquet amongst the Premier Crus from Chevillon. It still leans toward their richer style, which shaves away the delineation I discerned in their 2022s a year ago. The palate is medium-bodied and nicely balanced with pliant tannins, though it clams up and shows a little reduction toward the finish. Still, its fine line of acidity should make it intriguing to revisit once in bottle.