Domaine Henri Gouges
For nearly a century generations of Gouges have taken turns to defend and highlight the quality of the wines of Nuits-Saint-Georges. They were once named Henri Gouges, then Michel and Marcel – then replaced by Pierre and Christian, and now Grégory and Antoine. True experts in the cultivation and vinification of Pinot Noir, the Gouges estate encompasses fourteen hectares of vines, exclusively in Nuits-Saint-Georges. The balanced, intense, and supremely cellarable wines that they have provided for decades are what have made the reputation of their estate. Their production volume varies widely in line with climatic conditions, and their viticultural method focuses on quality and respect of terroir at the expense of quantity. The estate covers ten distinct appelations, a unique heritage and a living mosaic, and among these appellations are seven premiers crus and a famous family monopole in the ‘Clos des Porrets’ of Nuits-Saint-Georges.
The Henri Gouges estate is dominated by Pinot Noir, but is also home to ‘Pinot Gouges’, a unique white Pinot discovered by Henri himself. The vines are approximately fifty years old and are cultivated organically in order to preserve the purity of fruit, with all vineyard practices including harvesting conducted by hand with great care.
The wines of Henri Gouges are historically and reputedly intense and upright but are nowadays silky and soft whilst maintaining their strength, and capacity for long maturation . The wines are handled carefully before maturation in barrels for 10-18 months, with 10-30% of new barrels in use to lend complexity without diluting the terroir expression.