2021 Nuits-St Georges, Les Lavières, Domaine Jean Chauvenet, Burgundy

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.

Jean Chauvenet's wines are described by many as some of the most elegant and stylish in the whole Nuits- St Georges area. While Jean concentrated on extending holdings and domaine bottling Premier Cru, his son-in-law, Christophe Drag, a relative newcomer to the family firm, has been tending the vins de terroir. Educated at Lycée Viticole in Beaune and the University of Dijon, Christophe Drag has brought a modern and energetic touch to this family firm. He distinguishes between the north and south Premiers Crus, deeming those of the north to be more delicate and those of the south the more structured. His village holdings in Nuits-St.Georges and Vosne-Romanée are also held in high esteem with les Vaucrains standing out.