2007 Nuits St Georges Les Damodes 1er Cru
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Tasting notes
Bright, bittersweet cherry and cranberry that could have been borrowed from 2008 inform the Jayer-Gilles 2007 Nuits-St.-Georges Les Damodes, along with more obvious tannic structure than I perceived in its immediate siblings. Invigoratingly saline, leathery, pungently herbal, and piquantly cherry pit notes inform the sustained and energetic finish of a slightly austere wine I expect will be worth following for a dozen or more years, and that – unlike most of its vintage – ought to be given the next few to rest quietly in a cellar. Gilles Jayer did not commence harvesting is 2008 Pinots until October 1, with his Echezeaux. (In 2007, he began August 31.) With the exception of a few top parcels, he notes, triage had to be more severe in 2007 (just as in 2006) than it was in 2008, when he estimates that only 3-5% of what arrived in the press house was rejected. These 2008s evolved very slowly, in many instances retaining gaseous memoirs of their malo-lactic fermentations through the winter of 2009-2010, and not only were none of them bottled until after I last tasted them, but the Cotes de Nuits-Villages was simply not ready to be assessed. Importer: Robert Kacher Selections, Washington, DC; tel. (202) 832-9083
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Medium red. Reticent dark fruit and licorice aromas show a medicinal reserve. More backward than the Hauts Poirets, with considerable power and penetration to the flavors of black cherry, currant, spicy oak and licorice. The youthfully medicinal quality carries through onto the aftertaste, but this finishes broad, sweet and long, with considerable energy. A very impressive young premier cru.
Good deep red. Urgent aromas of crushed dark berries and black cherry complicated by licorice and violet. Rich, suave and delineated, with explosive lift to the bitter cherry and licorice flavors. Much more backward than the Hauts Poirets, but with superb sweetness and minerality. Here the ripe tannins reach the front teeth. This will no doubt need a good six or seven years of cellaring upon release.