2020 Nuits-St Georges, Les Perrières, 1er Cru, Domaine François Legros, Burgundy
Critics reviews
The 2020 Nuits Saint-Georges Les Perrières 1er Cru has the most precocious bouquet with cassis and blueberry scents, violet and rose petal. The palate is rounded and supple, slightly lower acidity than the Aux Thorey with a deep, quite sensual finish. A lovely Nuits Saint-Georges, though the Aux Thorey demonstrates more terroir at the moment.
Another name that’s new to my report is Domaine François Legros, in Nuits Saint-Georges. Legros, who took over the domaine in 1988, is one of those “dirt under the fingernails” winemakers, a man who is happiest out working in the vines. “My ancestors worked at Château de la Tour and my parents still live in Vougeot,” he told me. “They lived in the chateau.” He has expanded the holdings to around eight hectares that, unusually, span both white and red in the Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits, this diaspora due partly to working parcels previously owned by his father-in-law. He is now assisted by his daughter Charlotte, who trained at the University of Beaune.
Legros has converted all his vineyards to lutte raisonée, works some parcels by horse, and hand-picks and sorts his fruit in the vineyard and then on a vibrating table. For the reds, around 90% is de-stemmed, with manual pigeage. He keeps the wines on the lees with no racking, employing around 30% new oak for his Premier Crus. He told me that the whites were bottled the previous week and came in with 13.6–13.8% alcohol. Tasting through his 2020s, I preferred his reds to his whites, which displayed traits of sur-maturité. By contrast, the reds were fresher and more terroir-driven and therefore come recommended.
Drink 2024 - 2036
Neil Martin, Vinous.com (December 2021)
About this WINE
Domaine François Legros
Domaine François Legros is a family-owned vineyard with a rich history and a commitment to quality winemaking. What began in 1988 as a small family wine estate has blossomed into a 6.7-hectare vineyard nestled between the Côte de Nuits and the Côte de Beaune. François Legros, the steward of this vineyard, cultivates both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes. The estate remains true to its roots, focusing on modernity, authenticity, and expertise.
Nuits-Saint Georges
Originally known as Nuits, or even Nuits-sous-Beaune, the town was happy to add the name of its finest vineyard, Les St Georges, in the 19th century. There are no Grands Crus, but many fine Premier Cru vineyards, the mayor of the time – Henri Gouges – preferring not to single out any vineyard for the highest status.
The wines of Nuits-St Georges vary according to their exact provenance. Those of the hamlet of Prémeaux, considered to be part of Nuits-St Georges for viticultural purposes, are often on the lighter side.The richest and most sought-after are those just south of Nuits-St Georges such as Les Vaucrains, Les Cailles and Les St Georges itself. The third sector, including Les Murgers, Les Damodes and Les Boudots are at the Vosne-Romanée end of the village, and demonstrate some of the extra finesse associated with Vosne.
Several domaines (Gouges, Rion, Arlot) now produce a white Nuits-St Georges from Pinot Blanc or Chardonnay.
- 175 hectares of village Nuits-St Georges
- 143 hectares of Premier Cru vineyards (20 in all). Best vineyards include Les St Georges, and Clos des Argillières and Clos de la Maréchale in Prémeaux
- Recommended producers: Gouges, Rion, Liger Belair, Potel
- Recommended restaurant : La Cabotte (small but stylish)
Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir is probably the most frustrating, and at times infuriating, wine grape in the world. However when it is successful, it can produce some of the most sublime wines known to man. This thin-skinned grape which grows in small, tight bunches performs well on well-drained, deepish limestone based subsoils as are found on Burgundy's Côte d'Or.
Pinot Noir is more susceptible than other varieties to over cropping - concentration and varietal character disappear rapidly if yields are excessive and yields as little as 25hl/ha are the norm for some climats of the Côte d`Or.
Because of the thinness of the skins, Pinot Noir wines are lighter in colour, body and tannins. However the best wines have grip, complexity and an intensity of fruit seldom found in wine from other grapes. Young Pinot Noir can smell almost sweet, redolent with freshly crushed raspberries, cherries and redcurrants. When mature, the best wines develop a sensuous, silky mouth feel with the fruit flavours deepening and gamey "sous-bois" nuances emerging.
The best examples are still found in Burgundy, although Pinot Noir`s key role in Champagne should not be forgotten. It is grown throughout the world with notable success in the Carneros and Russian River Valley districts of California, and the Martinborough and Central Otago regions of New Zealand.
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Description
The 2020 Nuits Saint-Georges Les Perrières 1er Cru has the most precocious bouquet with cassis and blueberry scents, violet and rose petal. The palate is rounded and supple, slightly lower acidity than the Aux Thorey with a deep, quite sensual finish. A lovely Nuits Saint-Georges, though the Aux Thorey demonstrates more terroir at the moment.
Another name that’s new to my report is Domaine François Legros, in Nuits Saint-Georges. Legros, who took over the domaine in 1988, is one of those “dirt under the fingernails” winemakers, a man who is happiest out working in the vines. “My ancestors worked at Château de la Tour and my parents still live in Vougeot,” he told me. “They lived in the chateau.” He has expanded the holdings to around eight hectares that, unusually, span both white and red in the Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits, this diaspora due partly to working parcels previously owned by his father-in-law. He is now assisted by his daughter Charlotte, who trained at the University of Beaune.
Legros has converted all his vineyards to lutte raisonée, works some parcels by horse, and hand-picks and sorts his fruit in the vineyard and then on a vibrating table. For the reds, around 90% is de-stemmed, with manual pigeage. He keeps the wines on the lees with no racking, employing around 30% new oak for his Premier Crus. He told me that the whites were bottled the previous week and came in with 13.6–13.8% alcohol. Tasting through his 2020s, I preferred his reds to his whites, which displayed traits of sur-maturité. By contrast, the reds were fresher and more terroir-driven and therefore come recommended.
Drink 2024 - 2036
Neil Martin, Vinous.com (December 2021)
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