2021 Nuits-St-Georges, Maison Jaffelin
The wine presents with a wonderful deep red core in the glass with a light purple/pink hue on the rim, and immediately offers elegant aromas of red-berry fruit, mature oak and hints of mushroom and spice, perfectly intermingled and gentle.
The palate offers ripe red berry fruit to start, progressing to faint leathery notes, delicate peppery spice and subtle hints of liquorice and toasted oak, all wonderfully balanced, deeply complex, yet fresh and bright.
On the finish the oak warmth just starts to come through, the tannins are fine and smooth but present at this early stage and frame the palate firmly with darker berry, and wild strawberry notes that slowly build to accompany the subtle woody warmth.
I enjoyed the previous vintage of this wine so much, but I think the 2021 just has it pipped in terms of the elegance, the fruit just a little more supple and delicate and a touch more freshness and grip, a keeper for sure.
A superb glass of red, surely destined for the dinner table alongside all manner of roasted meats from pheasant to chicken, even beef wellington, but wow, what an enjoyable glass all on its own. A real treat, and one that I hope you'll share.
James | Mr.Wheeler