1985 Nuits St Georges Les St Georges

Tasted blind, the 1985 Nuits Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Saints-Georges was the unfiltered version. What a wine! The ripeness and comeliness pointed to either 1985 or a 1990 in my estimation, beautifully defined with abundant decayed red fruit, orange rind and a touch of marmalade. There is wondrous balance on the palate, understated at first but it becomes quite bullish towards the fresh and focused finish, sporting layers of dark berry fruit intermingling with tertiary, almost tobacco-like notes. Perhaps a little more persistence on the aftertaste would not have gone amiss, but otherwise this is an exemplary Nuits Saint-Georges. Tasted October 2016.