Nuits-Saint-Georges, Domaine du Clos Frantin, 2019
Nuits-Saint-Georges, Domaine du Clos Frantin, 2019
- 75cl
- 13.5%
- Red Still
- Pinot Noir
- Organic
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Optimal drinking window: 2026 - 2038
Nuits-Saint-Georges has always been Burgundy's straight-talker: less perfumed than Chambolle, less cerebral than Gevrey, but with a muscular, iron-fisted character all its own. This village-level bottling comes from Domaine du Clos Frantin, Albert Bichot's prestige Côte de Nuits domaine, where the focus has long been on expressing each appellation with genuine fidelity rather than polished-up négociant gloss.
"From vines averaging 40 years old in two clay-rich parcels totalling a little under a hectare, 25% whole bunch and with 30% new oak, this sets out the domaine’s stall rather well. This is a great introduction to Clos Frantin, to Cote de Nuits Burgundy in fact, as it is straight down the line, textbook juice. The slightly heavier soils give a generosity to the fruit that defies the NSG’s reputation for austerity but there is no lack of vibrancy."
Tom Harrow, Wine Guru
The 2019 vintage gave the Côte de Nuits warm, generous fruit without sacrificing structure, and this wine has both in good measure. This is a serious, satisfying village, a Nuits-Saint-Georges that offers immediate charm alongside the structure to age gracefully over the coming years.
By 2028, the structure should start to integrate more and the wine will move into a more generous, open phase where dark cherry, iron, and earth come together with some real coherence. From around 2030 to 2035 it should be at its most expressive and complete. Beyond 2036, village-level Nuits from this era may begin to lose its primary fruit precision, though the best-cellared bottles could hold well until 2038. This is not a wine that will suddenly transform into something otherworldly; it will simply become more of itself, which is quite enough.
Tasting Notes
AppearanceDeep ruby with a garnet edge, clear and vibrant with good depth of colour for a village wine.
NoseDark cherry, crushed raspberry, and dried rose petals underpinned by that distinctive Nuits iron-and-earth quality. A little oak spice sits quietly in the background without dominating. Give it twenty minutes in the glass and something more animal and woodsy starts to emerge.
PalateMedium to full body with the firm, chewy tannins that are practically the Nuits signature. The fruit is concentrated — dark cherry, plum, a touch of blackcurrant — with good acidity keeping everything in line. It's not a wine that flatters immediately, but the structure feels purposeful rather than austere.
FinishLong, dry, and savoury, with a lingering iron-mineral quality that pulls you back for another sip.
Overall impressionA proper village Nuits — serious, grounded, and built to reward patience rather than instant gratification.
Food Pairings
In Nuits-Saint-Georges, this is the kind of wine that would arrive alongside a boeuf bourguignon slow-cooked with lardons and mushrooms — a classic pairing that makes complete sense once you taste the two together. Locals also love it with coq au vin, or more simply with a plate of Époisses or Comté alongside good bread. Game is a natural match: roast partridge, venison stew, or a simple hare terrine from the charcuterie down the road. In the autumn, when Burgundy's markets fill with wild mushrooms, a simple fricassée of ceps and butter is hard to beat with a wine this earthy.
We think this wine would go well with
Serve at around 16 to 17°C — too warm and the fruit becomes jammy, too cool and the tannins close up entirely. A short decant of 30 to 45 minutes will help it open up if you're drinking it on the younger side; if you've cellared it for five or more years, it may need no more than a gentle pour into a large Burgundy glass. Speaking of which, a wider-bowled Burgundy glass rather than a narrow Bordeaux shape will give the wine room to breathe and let those earthy, floral aromatics develop properly.
The village vineyards of Nuits-Saint-Georges sit on a relatively narrow band of limestone and marl soils, with more clay in the lower plots and purer limestone and gravel higher up. This combination gives the wines their characteristic combination of weight and grip — the clay brings body and dark fruit, while the limestone drives the firm, iron-mineral backbone. The appellation runs along a gentle east-facing slope at roughly 250 to 300 metres, sheltered from the west by the hills of the Hautes-Côtes. Compared to its neighbours, Nuits tends to produce wines with more structure and less immediate aromatic flamboyance, which is precisely why they age so well.
Nuits-Saint-Georges is one of the Côte de Nuits's most southerly and substantial communes, producing almost exclusively red wine from Pinot Noir. Unlike Gevrey-Chambolle or Vosne-Romanée, it has no grand crus — an absence that has always struck wine lovers as something of an oversight, given the quality of its best premiers crus. The appellation is divided by the village itself into two distinct zones: the northern sector, which borders Vosne-Romanée and tends towards more elegant, perfumed wines, and the southern sector around Prémeaux-Prissey, which produces firmer, more rustic, and sometimes more compelling bottles. Village-level Nuits can vary enormously depending on which plots are included, but at its best it offers a robust, terroir-driven alternative to the more feted names further north.
The 2019 vintage in Burgundy delivered exactly what vignerons needed after a string of challenging years: a textbook growing season that let the grapes ripen slowly and evenly. Spring arrived gently, summer stayed warm without punishing heat spikes, and crucially, September brought those cool nights that preserve acidity whilst allowing full phenolic ripeness. We find ourselves talking about 2019 as one of those vintages where nature simply cooperated, giving winemakers healthy fruit with natural balance rather than forcing them to correct for extremes in the cellar.
What emerged are Burgundies with remarkable freshness married to genuine depth—the Pinot Noirs show that silky texture and bright red fruit character that makes great Burgundy so compelling, whilst the Chardonnays have both the mineral backbone and subtle richness that age beautifully. The quality runs impressively deep across all appellations, from village wines that drink like premier crus to grand crus that remind you why Burgundy commands such devotion. These wines are drinking beautifully now if you fancy them young and vibrant, though we suspect the better bottles will reward patience well into the 2030s.
FAQs
What does this wine taste like?
Dark cherry, dried rose, iron-rich earth, and a firm, chewy tannic backbone that is classic Nuits-Saint-Georges. It's structured rather than immediately generous, with a long savoury finish that rewards attention.
Is it ready to drink now?
It can be opened now with a short decant, but it's still on the tighter side. From 2027 or 2028 onwards it will be considerably more rewarding, and it should drink well until around 2038.
What food should I serve it with?
Anything with earthy, savoury depth: boeuf bourguignon, coq au vin, roast game birds, wild mushroom dishes, or a well-aged Comté. The wine's structure and iron character make it a natural partner for rich, slow-cooked meat.
Should I decant it?
Yes — 30 to 45 minutes in a decanter will help soften the tannins and open up the aromatics, particularly if you're drinking it on the younger side. If it's had several years in the cellar, a simple pour into a large Burgundy glass should be sufficient.
Is this worth cellaring?
Absolutely. Nuits-Saint-Georges is not a wine for the impatient, and the 2019 vintage has the fruit and structure to age gracefully. It will be at its peak somewhere between 2029 and 2035, making it well worth holding if you have the space.
How does this compare to other Burgundy appellations?
Nuits-Saint-Georges is firmer and more muscular than Chambolle-Musigny, less perfumed than Vosne-Romanée, and arguably more honest about what Côte de Nuits red wine actually is beneath the glamour. It has no grand crus, which keeps prices relatively grounded — and for those who like their Burgundy with backbone, that's not a bad thing at all.
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