2015 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1. Cru Les Damodes La Vougeraie

La bouche est sculptée et profonde, mais sans aspérité, avec une matière serrée. Les tanins restent élégants car le raisin a été vedangé mûr.

One of the Nuits Premiers Crus that's closest to Vosne, this is often quite a forward, drinkable Pinot. This year, it's a bit more structured, but every bit as delicious. Supple, ripe and textured, with damson and black cherry fruit, subtle whole bunch spice and stylish oak. 2019-28

A reserved and ever-so-mildly reduced nose quickly comes around to reveal aromas of spice, violet, earth, red currant and a hint of the sauvage. There is fine richness to the reasonably well-delineated and stony medium weight flavors that culminate in a sappy dusty, balanced and powerful finish where hints of warmth and bitter cherry pit arise. This is sufficiently structured to suggest that it will need at least mid- term cellaring to reveal its full potential. Drink 2027+ .

The 2015 Nuits Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Damodes had not finished its malolactic fermentation until September 2016 and unsurprisingly there was just a touch of reduction on the nose. The palate has a sorbet-like character on the entry, blood orange and fresh apricot infusing the black cherry and blackcurrant fruit. It has a grainy texture with fine structure and crunchiness on the persistent finish. I suspect it may need longer time in bottle than the Clos de Thorey, so afford this 3-4 years.

Good medium red. Pure but subdued aromas of currant, black cherry, smoky stone, licorice and violet. Intensely flavored and evolving slowly, combining a restrained sweetness and good salty minerality. Darker in its fruit character than the Clos de Thorey. The wine's strong, spicy, tannic finish calls for more élevage.