Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier Cru 'Clos des Corvées Vieilles Vignes', Domaine Prieuré Roch, 2020
Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier Cru 'Clos des Corvées Vieilles Vignes', Domaine Prieuré Roch, 2020
- 75cl
- 13%
- Red Still
- Pinot Noir
- Organic
- Biodynamic
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This wine is offered in its original case of 6
Prieuré Roch is one of Burgundy's great originals — founded by the late Henry-Frédéric Roch, co-manager of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, this is a domaine that has always done things its own way.
The vineyards hold only old vines (30-100 years), the domaine harvesting as late as possible in several tries, to maximise fruit and phenolic ripeness. The grapes are vinified naturally, with whole bunch fermentation and punching down by foot, followed by no fining, no filtration and very light use of sulphur.
The resulting wines have a special purity and complexity which is hard to encapsulate. Vibrant, fresh aromatics and very bright acidity are balanced by superbly ripe, sophisticated fruit and spice flavours. Like the wines of other great minimal-interventionist and biodynamic producers, they can be enjoyed young but are also capable of long-term cellaring.
Three wines are made from their 5.2ha monopole: Clos des Corvées itself (from millerandé grapes only: fully ripe but undersized berries giving very concentrated juice and flavour), a Nuits St Georges 1er Cru Vieilles Vignes (from the remainder of the same bunches – non millerandé) and a Nuits St Georges 1er Cru. This vineyard is the signature of the domaine, cases of which should grace any definitive Burgundy collection.
The Clos des Corvées sits in the northern part of Nuits-Saint-Georges, closer to Vosne-Romanée than the more tannic southern end of the village. The soils here are a mix of Bathonian limestone and clay over a rocky subsoil, giving wines with more elegance and lift than the iron-fisted Nuits of the south. The old vines in this selection have the depth of root system to find the most mineral-rich layers, which shows clearly in the wine's saline, iron-edged character.
Nuits-Saint-Georges is unusual among Burgundy's great communes in having no grand cru vineyards — a source of ongoing local grumbling and a situation that many believe ought to be corrected. What it does have is an exceptionally varied set of premiers crus, ranging from the powerful and tannic in the south to the more refined, almost Vosne-like in the north. The appellation produces exclusively red wine from Pinot Noir, and at its best it combines the structure of Gevrey with something more precise and saline. The Clos des Corvées, as a monopole, is among its most distinctive sites.
We'll be honest: 2020 in Burgundy was a vintage that kept everyone on their toes. A warm, dry spring brought early budbreak, then summer turned properly scorching with temperatures hitting 40°C in August. The saving grace came from perfectly timed August rains that rescued the vines from serious drought stress, followed by ideal September weather that allowed for unhurried picking. Yields were mercifully normal after several years of frost-ravaged harvests, and crucially, the heat never tipped into the jammy territory that can plague warmer vintages here.
What emerged were wines with surprising freshness despite the heat, showing ripe fruit balanced by good acidity and lovely mineral precision. The reds have more immediate charm than the structured 2019s, with silky tannins and generous Pinot Noir character, whilst the whites display beautiful richness without losing that crystalline Burgundian tension we adore. This isn't a legendary vintage like 2005 or 2010, but it's thoroughly delicious and more approachable in youth than many Burgundy vintages. The village wines are drinking beautifully now, Premier Crus are just hitting their stride, and the Grands Crus will reward patience for another five to ten years.
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