2010 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru 'Ronciere' 0,75l Jean Grivot

Bright light red. Pungent, high-pitched aromas of raspberry, cranberry and mint. Juicy, sweet and soil-driven, with strawberry fruit complicated by notes of mocha, earth, dried herbs, licorice and mint. A bit silkier than the Charmois but with every bit as much energy and tension.

The 2010 Nuits St. Georges Roncieres impresses for its verve and cut. Tea leaves, exotic spices, dried flowers and sweet red berries are woven together nicely in this finessed, elegant Nuits. Clean mineral notes reappear on the finish to give the wine much of its energy and focus. The Roncieres is classy from start to finish. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2028. ||I was blown away by the wines I tasted with Etienne Grivot on what turned out to be one of the most thrilling visits of my fall trip. Readers should do whatever they can to latch onto a few bottles of these exquisite Burgundies. Grivot talked about a roller coaster vintage which was saved by 3-4 days of good weather. The estate lost fruit from 3,000 plants and yields were down 40% across the board because of the poor weather during the flowering. The most dramatic proof of the loss in production was seeing some of rooms in the cellar with far fewer barrels than is the norm. The domaine’s 2009s are equally exciting. I will have notes on those wines in the April issue. Wine Advocate.February, 2012