2010 Domaine Jérôme Chézeaux Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Vaucrains 1er Cru

The 2010 Nuits St.-Georges Les Vaucrains is wonderfully complete. It is a big wine, yet all of the elements are beautifully integrated to a greater extent than in some of the other wines. The tannins are firm yet retain a certain level of elegance and finesse. The Vaucrains is deep, powerful and flat out great. Tar, smoke and incense are some of the notes that develop as the wine works its way to the huge, building finish. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2030. 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