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Nuits-Saint-Georges and the missing Grand Cru

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The classifications of the vineyards is a hot topic in most wine producing regions. Currently there are discussions about promoting the Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er cru Les Saint Georges to Grand cru status.

20120531-155808.jpgBut is this a good idea? … and why Les Saint Georges? … there are other vineyards with equal qualities in Nuits-Saint-Georges.

The difference between Grand Cru and 1er cru

The simple answer is a higher intensity and complexity in the Grand Cru. It’s harder to give a more informative answer .. but I will give it a shot:

From village to 1er cru

When you move up from village to 1er cru the layers of fruit and nuances increases and the terroir is becoming more pronounced and well defined in the wine. A good 1er cru should have a clear expression of the specific terroir.

From 1er cru to Grand Cru

When we move up to Grand Cru then the dimensions and complexity of the wine increases. It’s not only layers which are added, it’s dimensions. Where the terroir image is a clear picture in a 1er cru, it’s a 3D animation in the good Grand Cru.

Examples of the difference

If I failed to descripe the difference then here is some very good examples … sadly the experiments are rather expensive but they will show my point.

  • Vogue, Les Amoureuses vs. Musigny
  • Liger-Belair, Aux Reignots vs. La Romanee
  • Meo-Camuzet, Cros Parantoux vs. Richebourg

The last experiment can also be done with Henri Jayer wines – if Meo feels too cheap!

Sometimes the difference is smaller, but still it will be noticeable if the wines are on equal terms -i.e. same producer and same year. If you compare the Echezeaux from Liger-Belair with the Aux Reignot it’s quite a close race, where the Echezeaux is more multidimensional, but the Reignots have a very strong mineral intensity, that almost dominates the complexity of the Echezeaux. But still Echezeaux show Grand Cru qualities, while Reignot is a great 1er cru.

Summing up, I don’t really see any vineyards in Nuits-Saint-Georges with true Grand Cru level. Yes there are very fine wines, but none of the vineyards really stand out with these extra dimension of intensity and complexity.

Why not a Grand cru in Nuits-Saint-Georges

I really like a lot of the wines from Nuits-Saint-Georges, as the offer a great diversity of styles and quality, often at a more reasonable price than the wines from the neighbouring Vosne Romanee.

I have however very rarely tasted an outstanding wine from Nuits-Saint-Georges (94 – 95p), and I therefore wonder if the potential of the terroirs is at Grand Cru level. Actually I can only think of three or four wines tasted during the last two decades … that could merrit an outstanding rating.

Well since I only taste a limited number of wines I took a look of Allen Meadows tasting notes – he really deserves a lot of credit for his fine work – and I think it’s fair to say that he also found a very limited number of wines with high ratings from Nuits-Saint-Georges … check it out yourself – but not many with a rating higher than 94p!

So actually not many tasting notes support the idea of true Grand Cru level in Nuits-Saint-Georges.

Not all Grand Cru’s are great

You could argue that a lot of the Grand Cru wines from Burgundy are below the standard of the best wines from Nuits-Saint-Georges, and I would tend to agree.

The potential of the Grand Cru vineyards is however often much higher than what you see in the bottle. Two of the most diverse and inconsistent vineyards are Clos de Vougeot and Echezeaux. It’s true these vineyards are mentioned on the label of some pretty shitty wines, but the top quality of these vineyards are well beyond what I find in Nuits-Saint-Georges.

While Corton can produce fine wines, I must say that red Corton is not on my list of favorite wines. My personal taste aside, I still think there is more Grand Cru material in parts of the Corton terroir, than in the best 1er crus of Nuits-Saint-Georges. If you have time check out Allan Meadows, his tasting notes also indicate a higher top level in Corton.

Other 1er cru’s are better

I really don’t believe there is a need to change the classification and to promote any 1er cru to Grand Cru. If they decide to do so, I think these vineyards should be first in line.

  • Vosne Romanee, Cros Parantoux
  • Chambolle Musigny, Les Amoureuses
  • Gevrey Chambertin, Clos St. Jacques

I could perhaps mention other vineyards like Vosne Romanee Brulee, Malconsort and Aux Reignots – but to make the point simple … lets take these three.

Cros Parantoux is quite unique, the quality is very high for a 1er cru, and while charming it lacks some dimensions found in Richebourg … it’s a lesser but often more charming wine. The same is the case with Amoureuses, beautiful on it’s own, but compared to Musigny the level of intensity and complexity is higher in the Musigny.

The Gevrey Clos St. Jacques is magic in the hands of Rousseau, and is often better than most Grand Crus from the Gevrey appelation. Still it lacks the complexity of a good Griotte, the power and dimensions of a good Le Chambertin.

In my view none of these 1er crus are great Grand Crus, but they could be among the lesser Grand Cru’s … the prices of these wines are already at Grand Cru level. I really don’t see any good reason to change the classification for these three vineyards – and if they are not promoted, then the idea of promoting other red 1er crus is absurd.

Actually the best 1er cru vineyard is found in Meursault, where Perrieres is producing Grand Cru quality in the good years, with produceres like Coche-Dury and Comte Lafon.

Tasting Notes – Nuits-Saint-Georges

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