Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru “Les Damodes” Reviews

Good bright red. Musky redcurrant, black cherry, violet, rose petal and sandalwood on the perfumed, elegant nose. Juicy, spicy and intense, with lovely clarity and sappiness to the red berry, cherry and smoky mineral flavors. Very silky Damodes with a long, ripely tannic finish.

Outstanding. Here the wood treatment is more obvious though still relatively modest as it allows the ripe, earth and appealingly spicy red currant, plum, violet and rose petal aromas to shine. I very much like the mouth feel of the distinctly mineral-tinged medium-bodied flavors that possess outstanding complexity while concluding in a tension-filled and impressively persistent finish. The balance of structural elements is perfect and this should age effortlessly for up to a decade.

The 2010 Nuits St. Georges Les Damodes has everything the Corvees Paget doesn’t. Sensual layers of fruit caress the palate in this super-refined Nuits. Gentle floral and spice notes develop in the glass, adding depth and volume. Clean veins of underlying minerality frame the exceptional finish. This is a standout. Pierre Vincent used 50% whole clusters here. This parcel was planted 40 years ago with a selection of pinot fin. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2030. This is stunning set of wines from Pierre Vincent and Domaine de la Vougeraie. It is impossible to miss the attention to detail at this impeccably run domaine. No expense is spared. It takes 80 people to work the vineyards during harvest and another 20 in the cellar to take it from there. Production in 2010 was of course down significantly as it was everywhere else. Yields came in at 24 hectoliters per hectare for the Pinot and 29 for the Chardonnay. Vincent used between 30-80% whole bunches, depending on the wine. Readers who want to learn more might want to check out my video interview with Pierre Vincent on www.erobertparker.com. I will report on the domaine’s 2009s in the April issue.

Discreet wood highlights very ripe and impressively dense aromas of red berry liqueur, plum, violet and pungent warm earth. The density of the nose telegraphs the excellent concentration to be found on the very rich, powerful and serious medium-bodied flavors that possess very fine depth on the robust, energetic and moderately rustic finish. This is a classic Nuits that should age effortlessly.

30% whole clusters. Hints of spice, warm earth and dried flowers characterize the very fresh red pinot fruit liqueur aromas that marry into the solidly rich and seductively textured flavors that culminate in a firm and only slightly rustic finish that delivers outstanding length. This robust effort possesses that wonderful quality of ample amounts of underlying tension. Worth a look.

The 2009 Nuits St. Georges Les Damodes emerges from the glass with big, muscular fruit. This is a decidedly extroverted, dark wine that fills out its broad shouldered frame well. The Damodes is made in a style that pushes ripeness to the extreme. Here the estate used 40% whole clusters. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2027. Biodynamic farming and non-interventionalist winemaking are at the heart of the approach at Domaine de la Vougeraie. The 2009s saw roughly a 25 days of maceration (including a week of cold soak) with one punch down a day. Once in barrel racking was kept to a bare minimum. A number of wines were bottled in late 2010 and early 2011. I tasted these wines with winemaker Pierre Vincent in March 2011.

Tasted out of the barrel at the Domaine. This has great clarity on the nose with wild strawberry, redcurrant and a touch of cranberry leaf. Floral and feminine, this is a delightful bouquet. The palate is lively and animated on the entry, supple, light tannins with a graceful, very pure, quite succulent finish of strawberry and fresh cherries. Lvoely. Tasted November 2010.

30% whole clusters. Hints of spice, warm earth and dried flowers characterize the very fresh red pinot noir fruit aromas that marry into the solidly rich and seductively textured flavors that culminate in a firm and only slightly rustic finish that delivers outstanding length. This also possesses that wonderful quality of ample amounts of underlying tension. Worth serious consideration. 2019+