Notes:
One of the all-time Nuits, the 2002 Nuits-St.-Georges Les Vaucrains bursts forth with cassis liqueur and black cherry aromas. Violets, earth, tar, ink, licorice, and a huge assortment of candied black fruits coat the taster’s palate. Its stunning concentration and depth are matched by its nobility, balance, and length. This blockbuster’s tannin is so sweet and supple, as to be barely noticeable in its extraordinary finish. Projected maturity: 2008-2022 - 94-96 points
Wine Advocate Issue #153
Producer note: Christian Gouges describes 2002 as a vintage with "superb maturity and very pinot in character. The vintage was made in September and I was frankly worried as late as the end of August that we might have a real problem on our hands. Happily though, it's extremely well balanced with a profound red fruit character to it and very richly colored. Given that all of my vines are in Nuits and in some vintages we obtain somewhat rustic tannins, I particularly like the fact that 2002 gave us firmly structured wines but the tannins are noble. The sugars came in between 12 and 13.3% and we chaptalized nothing and because of the cool weather at the harvest, the grapes kept their acidities. Yields were actually generous to have such good sugars, which is to say between 35 to 40 hl/ha (2001 was 35 to 38 hl/ha). I was a bit worried about the élevage during the summer because I thought the wines might lose their CO2 due to the heat but thankfully, this didn't happen. As to vintage comparisons, there is some resemblance to 1990 and 1991 as it has the ripeness of '90 and the balance of '91." I then asked if Gouges thought that 2002 is as good as 1999 and his response was interesting, saying "no, as good as 2002 is, '99 is a truly great vintage." The mise is presently predicted for March or April, without fining or filtration. (Robert Haas/Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; Selection Becky Wasserman/Le Serbet, O.W. Loeb, Anthony Sarjeant, Howard Ripley, Seckford Wines, Avery's, Berry Brothers & Rudd and Heyman, Barwell and Rudd, UK).
Tasting note: Brilliantly complex and elegant black fruit aromas cut with intensely earthy notes merge seamlessly into ripe, rich, delicious yet entirely serious flavors that are very firmly structured but not at all hard. This possesses the terrific overall balance and culminates in a long if slightly austere and backward finish. Great potential here with buckets of classic old style Nuits character. 92 points
Burghound Jan '05
Henri Gouges Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru "Les Vaucrains" 2002
Reviews:
Burghound: 92
Wine Advocate: 94-96
Vinous Media: 90-93
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