Nuits-Saint-Georges
Styles
Principal grape varieties
Accessory grape varieties
Terroir
Natural factors
- A N/S tectonic ridge (~25 km) separating limestone plateaux to the west (400–500 m) from the Bresse plain to the east (~250 m)
- The Côte escarpment (~150 m of elevation change) built on Bajocian and Bathonian limestones (Middle Jurassic), including the dense 'calcaire de Comblanchien'
- Soils arranged in a toposequence: thin and highly calcareous at the top of the slope, gaining clay content toward the bottom, with highly free-draining Quaternary cryoclastic gravels on the upper slope
- Cool oceanic climate (10.5 °C/year average, ~750 mm/year), with thermal shelter and reduced rainfall thanks to the Morvan massif and Burgundian plateaux to the west
Human factors
- The practice of ageing the wines endows them with excellent keeping potential, already noted in the 18th century as wines suited for long cellaring
Product characteristics
- Reds: deep purple colour, aromas of cherry, strawberry, and blackcurrant, evolving toward leather, truffle, and game with age (via Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Red Premiers Crus: powerful tannins and long ageing potential; whites are balanced and full-bodied
Terroir / wine link
- East-facing slope combined with a limestone substrate yields efficient drainage and moderate fertility, producing red wines of balance and concentration with a complex aromatic profile
Facts drawn from the cahier's terroir-link section (Lien au terroir) by automatic interpretation — see the source.