2010 Nuits St Georges Les Vaucrains

The 2010 Nuits St. Georges Les Vaucrains is one of the more delicate wines next to some of the other 2010s. It shows gorgeous fleshiness in its layers of dark red fruit, spices and flowers. The Vaucrains is all about textural elegance and volume. The sensual finish makes this very hard to spit. Today the Vaucrains comes across as silkier and more finessed than the St. Georges, suggesting it may come around a bit earlier. That may also just be wishful thinking on my part. We will see. This is another breathtaking wine from the Chevillon brothers.

The 2010 Nuits St. Georges Les Vaucrains is one of the more delicate wines next to some of the other 2010s. It shows gorgeous fleshiness in its layers of dark red fruit, spices and flowers. The Vaucrains is all about textural elegance and volume. The sensual finish makes this very hard to spit. Today the Vaucrains comes across as silkier and more finessed than the St. Georges, suggesting it may come around a bit earlier. That may also just be wishful thinking on my part. We will see. This is another breathtaking wine from the Chevillon brothers. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2025. I have to say, this is a stunning set of wines from Denis and Bertrand Chevillon. The Chevillons told me they were surprised by the quality of the wines given the challenges of the growing season. The 2010s saw 5-10 days of cold soak, followed by 15-21 days of cuvaison. The wines were aged on their lees in French oak barrels, 30% new for the top wines and less for the mid- and entry-level wines. The 2010s will be bottled beginning in March 2012 through July 2012. Unfortunately, the 2009s were in an awkward stage on my last visit, so I had to wait a few more months to taste those wines. It was worth the wait. Chevillon’s 2009s are among the wines of the vintage. The 2009s were bottled beginning February (for the entry-level wines) through April for the top selections. I will report on the domaine’s 2009s in the April issue. Importer: Kermit Lynch, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 524-1524

Good bright, deep red. Energetic nose offers scents of crushed black cherry, violet, licorice and bitter chocolate. Vibrant and chewy in the mouth, with sweet black raspberry and boysenberry fruit complicated by saline and chocolate nuances. Can't match the Les Saint-Georges for finesse but this has serious power. With its solid tannic structure this wine will require time in bottle, but even today it's not hard.