2005 Nuits-St Georges Les Chaignots 1er Cru Domaine Henri Gouges Bu...

One part of the village vineyards forms a strip just above the D974 south of the town of Nuits, dipping down below the road in Prémeaux. More vineyards are on the steeper top slopes, often with a touch of the north in their otherwise eastern exposure. On the other side of Nuits, there is a much-wider swathe of village vineyard on the undulating ground below the main slope, which is populated by the Premiers Crus, as well as a narrow band at the top of the slope where there is barely any topsoil.

Pinot Noir is probably the most frustrating, and at times infuriating, wine grape in the world. However when it is successful, it can produce some of the most sublime wines known to man. This thin-skinned grape which grows in small, tight bunches performs well on well-drained, deepish limestone based subsoils as are found on Burgundy's Côte d'Or. Pinot Noir is more susceptible than other varieties to over cropping - concentration and varietal character disappear rapidly if yields are excessive and yields as little as 25hl/ha are the norm for some climats of the Côte d`Or.
Because of the thinness of the skins, Pinot Noir wines are lighter in colour, body and tannins. However the best wines have grip, complexity and an intensity of fruit seldom found in wine from other grapes. Young Pinot Noir can smell almost sweet, redolent with freshly crushed raspberries, cherries and redcurrants. When mature, the best wines develop a sensuous, silky mouth feel with the fruit flavours deepening and gamey "sous-bois" nuances emerging.

The best examples are still found in Burgundy, although Pinot Noir`s key role in Champagne should not be forgotten. It is grown throughout the world with notable success in the Carneros and Russian River Valley districts of California, and the Martinborough and Central Otago regions of New Zealand.