Nuits-Saint-Georges

Aux ArgillasPremier Cru

Aux Argillas is a premier cru of Nuits-Saint-Georges, immediately north of Nuits at the mouth of the Meuzin valley, on clay soil, which gives the name. There is a much larger village section called Les Argillats, 7.80 hectares; this is the clay-rich part of the Côte. Growers here include Jean Tardy, Chauvenet-Chopin and Jean Chauvenet.

Aux BoudotsPremier Cru

Aux Boudots is a premier cru of Nuits-Saint-Georges, immediately below Les Damodes and adjacent to Vosne's Les Malconsorts; it is relatively steep at 18%, and a band of rock runs near the surface. The soil is stony and well-drained. The wine is striking, full-bodied and almost sensual — it vibrates — with a lifted floral bouquet and a black-fruit palate, Vosne-like.

Aux Boudots is adjacent to Vosne's Les Malconsorts and is largely worked by Vosne-Romanée domaines; growers include Jean Grivot, Leroy and Méo-Camuzet.

Aux BousselotsPremier Cru

Aux Bousselots is a premier cru of Nuits-Saint-Georges at 255 to 280 metres on the lower mid-slope, sitting in clay-rich Meuzin-valley downwash, largely flat with deep soil. The wine is soft and rounded, an approachable style for Nuits. The name implies uneven ground, little bumps. Chevillon-Chezeaux planted a third with white grapes. Growers here include Robert Chevillon, Philippe Gavignet and Jean Chauvenet.

Aux ChaignotsPremier Cru

Aux Chaignots is a premier cru of Nuits-Saint-Georges, on the northern side of Nuits at 260 to 280 metres with an 8 to 20% slope. The name means little oaks, or, per Matt Kramer, iron-rich minerals. The soil is more alluvial than south of Nuits, with fine gravel from the Meuzin. Growers here include Robert Chevillon, Georges Mugneret-Gibourg and Domaine Faiveley.

Aux Champs PerdrixPremier Cru

Aux Champs Perdrix is a premier cru of Nuits-Saint-Georges, on the upper slope on the Vosne side of the village; it is former scrubland, dry and stony, with very little topsoil. The wine is fine-boned, without the typical rich, plummy aspect of most Nuits. There is possible confusion with Aux Perdrix in Premeaux, a separate cru; a further 0.55 hectares is village. Growers here include Chevillon-Chezeaux and Alain Michelot.

Aux CrasPremier Cru

Aux Cras is a premier cru of Nuits-Saint-Georges, between Aux Murgers and Aux Boudots at the northern, Vosne end of Nuits, and well-situated. At Lamarche it is typically the cellar's darkest-coloured wine. Much of it once belonged to Domaine Lamadon and is now split between Lamarche and Comte Liger-Belair. Growers here include Georges Noëllat, Comte Liger-Belair and Lamarche.

Aux MurgersPremier Cru

Aux Murgers is a premier cru of Nuits-Saint-Georges, on a moderate slope at the Vosne-Romanée end of Nuits. The soil is fairly pale, with sand and gravel in the mid-section. The wine has the richness of the appellation plus some of the elegance of its neighbour Vosne, and it retains good acidity. A murger is a stone bank from vineyard clearance.

Growers in Aux Murgers include Bertagna, Méo-Camuzet, Hudelot-Noëllat and Sylvain Cathiard.

Aux PerdrixPremier Cru

Aux Perdrix is a premier cru of Nuits-Saint-Georges in Premeaux, with Les Terres Blanches above and Aux Corvées below. It is a quasi-monopoly of Domaine des Perdrix, of the Devillard family, formerly under Antonin Rodet. A post-WWI old-vine plot has been bottled as Les 8 Ouvrées from 2006, about 1/3 of a hectare at 13,000 vines per hectare. The grower is Domaine de Perdrix.

Aux ThoreyPremier Cru

Aux Thorey is a premier cru of Nuits-Saint-Georges, superbly exposed to both south and east, like Gevrey's Clos Saint-Jacques. The soil is fine and gravelly over broken-up oolitic and Comblanchien rock. Thomas-Moillard once owned most of it, including the heart, Clos de Thorey, now Domaine de la Vougeraie; the remainder has been with de Montille since 2005. Growers here include Domaine de la Vougeraie, Domaine de Montille and David Duband.

Aux VignerondesPremier Cru

Aux Vignerondes is a premier cru of Nuits-Saint-Georges in the northern sector, between Les Bousselots and Aux Murgers, mid-slope at 250 to 270 metres with an incline of 10% or less. The upper part is hard Premeaux marble, the lower on marl with ostrea acuminata. The wine is soft and round, nearer Bousselots, rather than the finer, Vosne-leaning Murgers style. Growers here include Hospices de Nuits, Confuron-Cotetidot and Domaine Faiveley.

Chaines CarteauxPremier Cru

Chaines Carteaux is a premier cru of Nuits-Saint-Georges: steep, facing east with a fraction of north, at the south end of Nuits directly above Les Saint-Georges, on light soil. Chaines is perhaps a corruption of Chênes, oak trees. Domaine Henri Gouges is the best-known source, and is the grower here.

Château GrisPremier Cru

Château Gris is a premier cru of Nuits-Saint-Georges, on the Nuits hillside just south of the town, within Les Crots. It is Albert Bichot's holding, entitled to use the name Château Gris rather than Les Crots. The grower is Albert Bichot.

Clos ArlotPremier Cru

Clos Arlot is a premier cru of Nuits-Saint-Georges. The land falls sharply from hummocks in the top corners, the result of a natural fault plus 19th-century quarrying, and the flat ground near the road carries the main red, from old vines of 1939–51. The wine is light, fragrant and smoky from whole-cluster fermentation, inspired by Jacques Seysses; it ages deceptively well, gaining persistence and perfume, and the white ages too. The steep middle section is planted white; younger top vines are sold as Cuvée Mont des Oiseaux, and there is a second white, La Gerbotte.

Clos de l'Arlot is a Domaine de l'Arlot monopole of about 2 ha and also produces blanc.

Clos Saint-MarcPremier Cru

Clos Saint-Marc is a premier cru of Nuits-Saint-Georges, an enclave within Clos des Argillières; the underlying rock is about 3 metres below the surface. The wine has explosive succulence, depth and richness of fruit — greater pedigree than typical Premeaux. It is officially part of Les Corvées and is a monopole of Domaine Michèle & Patrice Rion, held by Bouchard until 2005. The grower is Domaine Michèle & Patrice Rion.

Clos de la MaréchalePremier Cru

Clos de la Maréchale is a premier cru of Nuits-Saint-Georges, the very first premier cru heading north up the D974 and the southernmost premier cru of the Côte de Nuits. A light layer of soil lies over limestone throughout, deeper only in the south-east corner. Under Mugnier it is graceful, with apparent fruit and gentle tannins, after a hard, long-lived Faiveley era. It has been in the Mugnier family since 1902, on loan to Faiveley from 1950 to 2004, and a small block is top-grafted to Chardonnay for the Blanc.

Clos de la Maréchale is a J-F Mugnier monopole, the southernmost 1er cru in the Côte de Nuits and the largest monopole in the Côte d'Or.

Clos des ArgillièresPremier Cru

Clos des Argillières is a premier cru of Nuits-Saint-Georges, east-facing in Premeaux. There is a little white oolite at the top; otherwise dense pinkish Premeaux marble with 50 to 80 cm of clay-rich earth above. The wine is classic Premeaux-style Nuits, of middling depth with a good tannic backbone, and it can dry out if over-extracted. Patrice Rion is the principal producer. Growers here include Michèle & Patrice Rion, Ambroise Frère & Soeur and Prieuré-Roch.

Clos des CorvéesPremier Cru

Clos des Corvées is a premier cru of Nuits-Saint-Georges in the Premeaux sector. It covers 5.13 hectares and is a subdivision of Aux Corvées; corvée means forced labour for overlords.

Clos des Corvées is a Prieuré-Roch monopole.

Clos des Corvées PagetsPremier Cru

Clos des Corvées Pagets is a premier cru of Nuits-Saint-Georges in the Premeaux sector, a subdivision of Aux Corvées; the total Aux Corvées area is 2.33 hectares including Clos Saint-Marc. Growers here include Arnoux-Lachaux, Hospices de Nuits and Domaine de la Vougeraie.

Clos des Forêts Saint-GeorgesPremier Cru

Clos des Forêts Saint-Georges is a substantial premier cru vineyard of Nuits-Saint-Georges in Premeaux, with a gentle lower part. There is 50 to 60 cm of clay topsoil over a small-stone band of similar depth, then mother rock. The wine is deeper-coloured and fuller than Clos de l'Arlot, with excellent keeping qualities. The lower part was formerly Les Petits Plets, replanted 1986–9.

Clos des Forêts Saint-Georges is a Domaine de l'Arlot monopole of 7.2 ha.

Clos des Grandes VignesPremier Cru

Clos des Grandes Vignes is a premier cru of Nuits-Saint-Georges and the only premier cru in either Côte lying below the D974. It makes red and white, and is the premier cru part of Les Grandes Vignes. Its owners were de Montille, then Château de Puligny, and Comte Liger-Belair from 2012.

Clos des Grandes Vignes is a Comte Liger-Belair monopole.

Clos des Porrets-Saint-GeorgesPremier Cru

Clos des Porrets-Saint-Georges is a premier cru of Nuits-Saint-Georges, a climat within Les Porrets.

Clos des Porrets-Saint-Georges is a Henri Gouges monopole, a climat within Les Poirets.

En la Perrière NoblotPremier Cru

En la Perrière Noblot is a premier cru of Nuits-Saint-Georges, a small block on the upper hillside. It is a white premier cru, with Chardonnay replanted in 2008; the owner is Domaine Alain Michelot, and the village-level version is red. The grower is Domaine Alain Michelot.

La RichemonePremier Cru

La Richemone is a tiny premier cru of Nuits-Saint-Georges on a 10 to 12% slope, between Damodes above and Murgers below to the south. It is attractive and matures relatively early, except for Perrot-Minot's old-vine cuvée. Perrot-Minot makes Vignes Centenaires, formerly Cuvée Ultra, and Pascal Mugneret recently bottles his Richemone separately. Growers here include Perrot-Minot, Alain Michelot and Gérard Mugneret.

Les CaillesPremier Cru

Les Cailles is a premier cru of Nuits-Saint-Georges, bordering Les Saint-Georges on the same contours. The ground is stony, and the name refers to that stoniness, not to quail. It is close to Les Saints-Georges in quality, a touch lighter and more elegant, stylistically nearer Saint-Georges than Vaucrains. Growers here include Robert Chevillon, Bouchard Père & Fils and Alain Michelot.

Les ChabœufsPremier Cru

Les Chabœufs is a premier cru of Nuits-Saint-Georges, a slightly cooler site directly above Les Cailles, on red-brown soil with plenty of stones. It is a sound source and stands out at Domaine Jean-Jacques Confuron. Growers here include Philippe Gavignet, Domaine de la Poulette and Jean-Jacques Confuron.

Les CrotsPremier Cru

Les Crots is a premier cru of Nuits-Saint-Georges, on the hillside just south of Nuits, above the road over the hill to Chaux. The name comes from creux, a dip or hollow. Bichot's Château Gris is the main producer and may use that name instead of Crots; a further 1.67 hectares is village. Growers here include Château Gris of Bichot, Domaine des Clos and Guy & Yvan Dufouleur.

Les DamodesPremier Cru

Les Damodes is a premier cru of Nuits-Saint-Georges, on the upper slope from 280 to 340 metres at the northern end, flowing into Vosne's Les Damaudes. A layer of fine gravel lies over blocks of pink Premeaux marble. The wine is sweet-fruited and can turn pruney in a dry vintage, with silky, Vosne-like tannins. The name means little ladies, and the upper part, 4.27 hectares, is village. Growers here include Domaine de la Vougeraie, Domaine Faiveley and Lecheneaut.

Les DidiersPremier Cru

Les Didiers is a premier cru of Nuits-Saint-Georges, the most northerly of the Premeaux sector. Big white-oolite stones sit in a brown clay topsoil over hard Comblanchien limestone, more like Les Saint-Georges than the rest of Premeaux. The sole owner is Hospices de Nuits, with three cuvées — Fagon, Cabet and Jacques Duret. The grower is Hospices de Nuits.

Les Hauts PruliersPremier Cru

Les Hauts Pruliers is a premier cru of Nuits-Saint-Georges, within the section under the road climbing to Chaux. It is similar to Les Pruliers, slightly lighter. The premier cru portion is a tiny sliver; the bulk, 3.53 hectares, is village, and Daniel Rion's vines are in that portion. Growers here include Michèle & Patrice Rion and Cave Nuiton-Beaunoy.

Les PerrièresPremier Cru

Les Perrières is a premier cru of Nuits-Saint-Georges, named for its quarry, still working and uniquely underground with the vineyard above. The red style is lighter and refined. Henri Gouges makes it entirely white from the Pinot Blanc known as Gouges, and Dufouleur has a little Chardonnay; a further 0.22 hectares is village. Growers here include Guy & Yvan Dufouleur, Robert Chevillon and François Legros.

Les Perrières is also a source of rare Nuits-Saint-Georges blanc.

Les Porrets-Saint-GeorgesPremier Cru

Les Porrets-Saint-Georges is a premier cru of Nuits-Saint-Georges, on deepish gravelly soil. Young, the wine is tight; it is powerful and slightly wild, with liquorice and game rather than plums or red fruit, and it is among the appellation's most striking wines. It is also spelt Poirets, the site having once grown pears. Part is Clos des Porrets Saint-Georges, a Henri Gouges monopole. Growers here include Henri Gouges, Domaine Faiveley and R Dubois.

Les PoulettesPremier Cru

Les Poulettes is a premier cru of Nuits-Saint-Georges, a small, relatively flat vineyard at high altitude. A further 0.13 hectares is village. It is rarely tasted by the author. Growers here include Domaine de la Poulette, Guy & Yvan Dufouleur and Gachot-Monnot.

Les ProcèsPremier Cru

Les Procès is a premier cru of Nuits-Saint-Georges. The name suggests lawsuits. Of the lieu-dit Procès, 0.57 hectares is declared as premier cru Les Pruliers, and Drouhin's holding belongs to Laurent Drouhin personally. Growers here include Arnoux-Lachaux, Joseph Drouhin and David Duband.

Les PruliersPremier Cru

Les Pruliers is a premier cru of Nuits-Saint-Georges, on a moderate slope, a little steeper at the top. There are plenty of small stones, especially at the south end, with more clay than neighbouring Roncière. The wine is firmer and deeper than Les Procès next door. The name comes from former plum trees. Growers here include Henri Gouges, Jean Grivot and Robert Chevillon.

Les Saints-GeorgesPremier Cru

Les Saints-Georges is a premier cru of Nuits-Saint-Georges. The soil is deepish-brown clay for weight, with small stones for drainage and minerality, and a high pH, so low acid. It is the biggest and most concentrated Nuits-Saint-Georges premier cru, with firm tannins cushioned by flesh, and it is consistent. It is the leading Nuits site and a long-standing candidate for grand cru; the northern sector is owned by Vosne producers and priced higher. Growers here include Thibault Liger-Belair, Domaine Henri Gouges and Hospices de Nuits.

Les Saint-Georges is the flagship of the village and is widely considered grand cru-worthy.

Les Terres BlanchesPremier Cru

Les Terres Blanches is a premier cru of Nuits-Saint-Georges, reclaimed from forest in the 1980s. The reds are on the austere side, and the whites, from Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay, are interesting. Its premier cru status was transferred from a quarry above Clos de l'Arlot; it was previously Côte de Nuits-Villages. Growers here include Michèle & Patrice Rion, Domaine de Perdrix and Daniel Rion.

Les VallerotsPremier Cru

Les Vallerots is a premier cru of Nuits-Saint-Georges, two small strips in a dip — vallerots means small valleys — beyond Les Chaboeufs. The premier cru is a quasi-monopoly of Domaine Chantal Lescure; the village part is larger at 8.26 hectares and north-east-facing. The grower is Domaine Chantal Lescure.

Les VaucrainsPremier Cru

Les Vaucrains is a premier cru of Nuits-Saint-Georges, just above Les Saint-Georges and noticeably steeper at about 15%; earlier quarrying flattened some of it against a rocky backdrop. The soil is exceptionally poor — worth nothing, as the name has it. The wine is intense, deep-coloured and long-lived, less succulent than Saint-Georges but with more prominent minerality. Growers here include Robert Chevillon, Domaine de la Poulette and Henri Gouges.

RoncièrePremier Cru

Roncière is a premier cru of Nuits-Saint-Georges, steep at about a 20% gradient. The soil is pale over white oolite and some gravelly shale, and heat reflected off the stones dries it quickly after rain. It ripens early and is Mediterranean-leaning for Nuits, with a slight garrigue scent common. The name comes from the brambles covering the site before planting. Growers here include Robert Chevillon, Jean Grivot and Domaine de la Commaraine.

Rue de ChauxPremier Cru

Rue de Chaux is a premier cru of Nuits-Saint-Georges, tucked into a bend of the road up to Chaux and relatively low-lying. The wine is of middling density, typically with black-fruit notes. Growers here include Gilles Remoriquet, Hospices de Nuits and Domaine Chicotot.