Vigorous youthful purple with real density. A backward nose of significant intensity, dark fruit of classic Nuits-St-Georges character. Huge intensity, with the black fruit complemented by the required freshness. A little pepper and spice, but led by the dark fruit. Real intensity.

Here too there is a note of herbal tea to the fresh, cool and nicely ripe nose of dark currant, game, violet and plenty of earth that are trimmed in discreet though not invisible wood nuances. The dense and sappy big-bodied flavors possess evident power and muscle before concluding in a youthfully austere finish that is expressly built to age. This is presently a compact and serious Vaucrains that will need every bit of 12 to 15 years to reveal all it has to offer.

The 2017 Nuits Saint-Georges Les Vaucrains ler Cru is a little animally on the nose, quite reduced at the moment. The palate is medium-bodied with chewy tannins. There is plenty of fruit here, sweet and Vosne-like in style, although this needs more complexity and mineraiite toward the finish. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2017 tasting. • By Neal Martin on September 2021