For the most diehard Burgundy drinkers, every village in the region has one producer who sets the standard. For Nuits-Saint-Georges, it's Henri Gouges.

The village’s signature combination of earthy power and lifted grace is exemplified by a wine like Gouges’ “Les Chênes Carteaux.” It’s no wonder that the Gouges family turns out benchmark renditions, though: not only have they been growing grapes in Burgundy for 400 years, not only was their estate one of the very first to bottle under its own name rather than sell to negociants, but Henri Gouges literally helped delineate Burgundy’s Premier and Grand Crus in the 1930s.

Few can compete with the Gouge family’s knowledge not just of Nuits-Saint-George, but of Burgundy as a whole, and you can taste their expertise in every bottle they produce.

Why You’ll Love It

• If you love the marriage of almost rustic soulfulness and spirited elegance that defines great Nuits-Saint-Georges, Henri Gouges is the producer to drink. They don’t just live up the village’s benchmark, they set the benchmark.

• Premier Cru Burgundy just doesn’t get much better: the nose soars with black cherry, pomegranate, and raspberry fruit married to woodsy and warm spice. Brooding, almost mushroomy earth – a hallmark of great NSG – undergirds it all.

• On the palate its generous, powerful, and open, turning toward the dark fruit tones. Lithesome acidity and noticeable but polished tannins promise a decade or more of positive aging.

How to Serve It

• Drink it now, or in ten years. 

• Serve just above cellar temp in Burgundy bowls. You’ll want to appreciate every aspect of the gorgeous aromas on display here. 

• Serve alongside some of Burgundy’s famous country cuisine, especially a game bird dish like roasted duck.