Joseph Drouhin Nuits-Saint-Georges 2022

Joseph Drouhin Nuits-Saint-Georges is a Pinot Noir from one of the sturdier appellations of the Côte de Nuits, made by the Beaune house founded in 1880. Drouhin farms 78 hectares organically and biodynamically and buys fruit from trusted local growers for some bottlings. Nuits-Saint-Georges runs on limestone and marl with deeper, iron-rich clay and gravel, a fuller soil profile that gives its Pinot Noir more body, firmer tannin and a darker, earthier register than the communes further north. The east-facing slope and a good day-to-night temperature range hold freshness through ripening. Fermentation uses native yeasts and the wine ages sixteen months in French oak, the gradual oxygen exchange through the staves softening the tannins and lending fine wood spice. The colour is a deep ruby. The nose shows dark cherry, red berries, plum, damp earth and a peppery, liquorice edge. The palate is medium to full, the tannins firm but ripe, the finish savoury and persistent. This is a Burgundy with the structure to age. Serve at 16 to 17 degrees and decant thirty minutes ahead. Good with roast beef, duck or game.