1997 Nuits Saint-Georges Les Saint-Georges 1er Cru

Christian Gouges describes his '98s this way: "Very pinot noir, very agreeable, very expressive of terroir. Because the malos took a long time, they gave the wines gras and roundness." The August heat saved the vintage, Gouges adds, allowing the grapes to reach about 12% potential alcohol. And the thick-skinned grapes were able to resist rot during the pre-harvest rain. Gouges did "a minimum of vinification," avoiding overextraction, which he believes would have been especially dangerous in '98. The malolactic fermentations did not finish until the end of August, although Gouges racked the wines last spring (keeping the lees), explaining that he finds that he loses verve more if he racks the wines when the ambient temperature is warm. All of the '98s showed some signs of reduction in November; their fruit flavors should be further sweetened by the racking done just prior to bottling. Gouges pointed out that he has benefitted from the work of his father, who was widely criticized for his wines in the late '70s and early '80s but who had the courage and foresight to replant his vines. Gouges is now profiting from this work, and his wines have been among the finest, most complete examples of Nuits-Saint-Georges since the early '90s. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)

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)