1996 Nuits Saint-Georges Les Saint-Georges 1er Cru

Christian Gouges, who was facing minor surgery in February to correct a chronic sinus condition, made it immediately clear that he considered 1997 an outstanding vintage. "The wines are exceptional in terms of maturity and individuality," explained Gouges. "They are very ripe for pinot noir and are characterized by empyreumatic (i.e., smoky, roasted) aromas of chocolate, coffee and tobacco, which is a legitimate expression of our pinot noir. They have plenty of tannins, but the tannins are supple and fat, and the wines have an ideal acid/tannin/alcohol balance for aging. The colors, which have deepened since the malos ended, are deep red but not ruby in short, very pinot noir. In sum, it a very natural vintage that should express the terroir and the cepage more than winemaking techniques." The wines were racked last March after the malos, but were still on their fine lees at the time of my visit. The lesser wines will drink well early, but Gouges top two or three cuvees should be long lived. Gouges's more severely structured '96s have turned out extremely well. They were bottled unfiltered but with a "half fining" to round the tannins. Gouges noted that he would rather soften his wines prior to bottling them than switch to a suppler vinification at the outset. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)

Vinification here is as natural as possible. Gouges does a short cold maceration, without chilling the must. He ferments with natural yeasts, using modest chaptalization to draw out the fermentation and keep the yeasts working steadily. Each day there is one pigeage and one remontage with and without aeration on alternating days. There is no further maceration once the fermentation ends. Gouges is not a fan of new oak and its aromas of pain grille and vanilla. "The new-oak wines that are expansive in barrel will last far less long in bottle," he believes. The 1996 yield of 40-45 hectoliters was "normal for others but enormous for Domaine Gouges," says Christian Gouges. The '95s were fined but not filtered; and because the '96 tannins were not overly powerful or aggressive, Gouges hoped to be able to bottle the new vintage without any clarification. Incidentally, Gouges admits having made a mistake by racking the '94s a third time because of reductive aromas. The additional racking dissipated the carbonic gas that protected the wine, resulting in a loss of freshness and fruit. "I was young," he explains. The '96, in contrast, was racked last April and is still on the lees, and will be racked again only for the bottling, which will take place between February and April, a bit earlier than normal for this estate. I thought both the '95s and '96s were quite successful; even the '95s seemed a bit less tough than some recent vintages at this address. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)