Hospices de Nuits 2023 Auction: Recommendations

The 2023 auction at the Hospices de Nuits in Nuits-Saint-Georges is Sunday (March 10th), and on March 7 I had the opportunity to taste the wines that will be auctioned this weekend.

It was a rather quick tasting of all the appellations, and it gave me a first look at the wines as interpreted by Jean-Marc Moron, the Hospices de Nuits’ winemaker. As always, great work by Jean-Marc Moron.

The intriguing, vivid 2023s

The 2023 wines follow the rich and sometimes very generous ’22s from the Hospices de Nuits. Whereas some of the 2022s were on the richer, denser side, the 2023s seems to strike a more balanced stance weight- and freshness-wise.

The ’23s might not be better than ’22s, as their phenolic ripeness is somewhat uneven, but some of the wines have an intriguing vividness that creates a liveliness and energy some 2022s lack.

I like the verve and energy of 2023, and would at this stage predict good medium-term drinking, with nice tension and energy up to the age of 10 years or so.

The yields were potentially very high, and variable, in 2023. There were huge green harvests in many vineyards, and yield management could explain the somewhat uneven phenolic ripeness. It’s difficult to ensure even ripeness when several green harvests have been done, and the potential yield is 80 hectolitres per hectare (or more).

The tension arising from the variable phenolic ripeness could well be both the blessing and the curse of the 2023s. Only time will tell.

My favourite ’23s at the Hospices de Nuits

As said, it’s a bit early to judge these wines, but I nevertheless have some favourites. There are many good wines, but for me the use of more whole-cluster vinification would be cheerfully welcomed.

The Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Boudots 2023 has nice, vivid energy, making this an unusually lively and effortless wine. The phenolic tension is clear, as are graceful mid-palate intensity and generosity. As always (for me), better than the bigger cuvees (Les Saint-Georges and Les Didiers) that are too often old-school NSG. The Boudots is both effortless and quite light-footed, with a unique balance in this Hospices line-up. A vin d’émotion. – (93-94p) –

Lastly, one of the old-schoolers is the Les Saint Georges Cuvée Georges Faiveley 2023. This is a big wine, but somehow shows interesting energy and vividness despite its sheer density. The oak is well integrated, and this gives the wine lovely balance, as the wood doesn’t mask an somewhat over-extracted inkiness often found in this wine. (93-94p) –

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