2010 Nuits St Georges Rue de Chaux

The 2010 Nuits St. Georges Rue de Chaux is a huge, explosive wine bursting with sweet dark cherries, flowers, sweet herbs and mint. It is a decidedly ripe, exotic Nuits that stands out for a level of ripeness that borders on opulence. Jerome Chezeaux adds that these parcels, planted in 1943 and 1950, yielded high amounts of shot berries. Sweet, balsamic notes wrap around the huge finish. I can’t say this is especially elegant or refined, but is completely intriguing in its own way. There is no shortage of personality here. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2028. Jerome Chezeaux took over his family’s estate in 1994. The winery was originally founded in 1938, but only began bottling in the late 1960s. The 2010 harvest started on September 25 and lasted six days. The wines saw about 21 days of cuvaison (including 4-5 days cold soak) and were then aged in oak, with a fairly low amount of new wood, as is typical here. Yields were down 40% on average. The 2010s are on average excellent. The entry-level wines are terrific, both on absolute and relative terms. A number of the top 1er Crus and the Clos de Vougeot struck me as a bit closed, which is not surprising given the personality of the year. I will not be surprised if some of the top 2010s are even more impressive from bottle. Importer: Rosenthal Wine Merchant, Pine Plains, NY; tel. (800) 910-1990