Nuits St Georges les Vaucrains, Domaine Henri Gouges 2017

The 2017 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Vaucrains is another unusually suave offering from Gouges, offering up aromas of dark berry fruit, wild plums, baking chocolate and rich soil tones, subtly framed by cedary new wood. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, deep and dense, but notably open-knit and juicy at the core, concluding with a long, sapid finish. Given how forbidding Vaucrains can be, this is an almost disconcertingly charming effort.

A paler crimson. The nose is showing advancing aromatics, dark raspberries taking on a leafier turn. Perhaps a touch of menthol. Still some firm structure, tannins and acidity in harness, with the fruit returning. Good to start drinking now, but still better to keep. Drink from 2025-2032.