Joseph Drouhin Nuits Saint George 'Proces', Cote de Nuits FR 2023
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Burghound Wine Review
Maison Joseph Drouhin
2023
Nuits St. Georges "Procès" ♥
1er Cru Red barrel
Score: 90-93
Tasted: Apr 10, 2025
Drink: 2033+
Issue: 98
Outstanding
Note: from a .40 ha parcel
Producer note: As is usually the case, I met with Véronique Drouhin who described 2023 as "a growing season that required a lot of vigilance though in the end, it wasn't too challenging. The fruit set was abundant which caused us to drop fruit in some parcels but not all. Disease pressure was light to moderate as the chardonnay was affected by oidium and the famous Suzukii fly did cause some acid rot in places that had to be very carefully sorted and eliminated. We began picking on the 2nd of September for the Côte d'Or whites and on the 4th for the reds. There was a severe heat wave during the harvest so it was necessary to pick quickly and only in the mornings and early afternoons because after that, the heat was simply too intense. The pinot required quite a bit of sorting for a variety of small problems that included underripe, roasted or sunburned and Suzukii-affected berries. Yields were perfectly good but not especially high at between 35 and 45 hl/ha with a wide range of potential alcohols that came in between 12.5 and 13.8%. We used between 25 and 40% whole clusters during a total cuvaison of between 20 and 24 days. Interestingly, even with a moderately extended cuvaison, the colors are not especially deep, indeed they are what I would call classic pinot. As is generally the case with our whites, we did no lees stirring. Another interesting aspect is just how much both colors improved during the élevage as it took a while for their respective personalities to develop. As to the wines, they're certainly ripe yet despite this, there is a certain classicism in the style and this is true for the reds as well as the whites. I like them quite a bit and in particular for their excellent transparency to the underlying terroir." I would second Mme. Drouhin's sentiments as the wines do indeed distinctly convey their respect terroirs. Note that the 2023 whites will be reviewed in Issue 99. (Dreyfus, Ashby & Co., www.dreyfusashby.com, NY, USA; Pol Roger Ltd., www.polroger.co.uk, Latimer Vintners, www.latimervintners.com, UK).
Tasting note: A ripe and distinctly earthy nose is comprised by notes of poached plum, dark raspberry and a whiff of underbrush character. The rich and quite suave medium weight flavors possess both good volume and better mid-palate density, all wrapped in a firm, dusty and robust finale. This is also very good though here, at least some patience is in order as the finish is noticeably firmer.