Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er cru Roncière
2015
Domaine Jean Grivot is one of Burgundy's greatest small family estates, and their story is a classic Burgundy family story. They were one of the first families in Vosne Romanee to bottle and sell their own wine, beginning in the 1930's. The estate has been run by fifth-generation vigneron Etienne Grivot since 1987 with his wife Marielle. The domaine is an impressive 15ha in total, but in classic 'small is beautiful' Burgundian fashion it takes little bits of 22 different appellations to cobble...
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The vineyard of Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Roncière 1er cru lies in the “Zone de Saint-Georges” or central section of Nuits-Saint-Georges near the town itself. Roncière takes its name because the soil is so poor that it is said only “ronces” (mulberries) can grow there. It is produced from a 0.5-hectare parcel from vines planted in 1959.
The grapes are destemmed and cold maceration usually lasts just a day or two. The alcoholic fermentation is spontaneous and malolactic fermentation occurs in barrel. Depending on the vintage, the proportion of new oak is around 30-60% for the premier crus.
The wine shows aromas and flavours of red berries, herbs, and flowers. The palate is rich with ripe fruit and medium bodied with bright acidity and fine tannins. There are also beautiful notes of vanilla, toast, and baking spices.
The source of this deliciously drinkable, Vosne style Nuits-St-Georges is a very stone site
next to Les Pruliers. It often has a wild Mediterranean herb, or garrigue-like note, and
that’s the case here. Sweet, balanced and well focused, with subtle oak integration and the concentration to age further.
(these vines are 65 years old): Bright, dark red. Blackberry and mineral aromas are accented by herbs and mint; seems a bit shallower on the nose than the Vosne-Romanée premier crus that preceded it in my tasting. Shows less sweetness and pliancy as well, but boasts very good inner-mouth aromatic precision and firmness to the cooler flavors of black cherry, mint and anise. The tannins come across as quite firm, but that's partly a function of the fact that there's less buffering fruit here. This wine also displays a slight Mediterranean aspect, and Grivot likes to serve it with fish.
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