The defining estate in Nuits-St-Georges. One hundred years after Henri Gouges returned from the First World War and became a pioneer of domaine bottling and a champion of the region, Gouges are going strong. The stewardship of Henri’s great-grandsons Greg and Antoine is winning round a new generation of fans, and these two cousins have had a cracking fifteen years in charge.

Gouges have great vineyard sites, including of course the lion`s share of the putative grand cru Les St-Georges. They also have a lot of very old vines, together with the results of an excellent replanting programme from over twenty years ago. Greg has overseen a defining overhaul in the cellar; it is now gravity fed (which ultimately means silkier tannins), with a separate area for those more stubborn malolactic fermentations, and much more scope for plot-by-plot vinfication. The wines are as age-worthy as ever, but they also show greater phenolic maturity and lusher, silkier tannins. (NT 09/08/23)