The Master of Nuits St. Georges
2010 Chevillon Nuits St. Georges VV, 1er Cru Les Chaignots &
1er Cru Les Cailles
"If the style of NSG (bright, bold, fiery fruit) appeals, then this is the first name to remember: Robert Chevillon…"
-Andrew Jefford
Talk to people who've been collecting Burgundy for twenty or thirty years about which wines age the longest, which producers are the most consistent, and Chevillon's name always pops up.
Chevillon is a lesson in Nuits St. Georges, in all its meaty, wild, textured glory.
In the context of Burgundy, for the quality, they are some of the strongest values around.
The truth is that without any Grand Crus, without any catchy taglines to be marketed with, Nuits St. George cruises under the radar. This belies the fact that great Nuits St. Georges can be just as haunting as any wine made in this fabled land. The best rival Grand Crus in longevity.
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As Andrew Jefford makes clear above, Chevillon is the master of Nuits St. Georges. This is why we've been trying to build a war chest of Chevillon's 2010s. The clarity and concentration of the vintage promises to produce monumental wines for the ages. In a short vintage (yields were down 30-40%) and with Chevillon's small parcels, quantities are, despite all our efforts, fairly small.
Bertrand Chevillon himself called the 2010 line-up "linear and precise, with excellent energy and displaying the underlying terroirs perfectly." Today, we offer a trio of wines that represents Chevillon's range in all it terroir-attuned breadth. On offer are: 2010 Nuits St Georges VV, 1er Cru Les Chaignots and 1er Cru Les Cailles.
There are no tricks at Chevillon (like cold maceration, low temperature fermentations or new oak): the reliance is on old vines and old fashioned winemaking. His are unmistakable, clear-speaking, reference point Nuits St. Georges - rich with fruit, animal, mineral and soil in equal parts. Think Gevrey-Chambertin with a serious weightlifting regiment and devoid of some social niceties... That's Nuits St. Georges, and no one renders it as finely, as clearly as Chevillon.
The Nuits St. Georges VV is an old vine overachiever. Burghound writes of the "rich and impressively scaled flavors," and if the note seems more on par with a 1er Cru than a village wine that's because the wine is. In the context of Chevillon,this is fairly accessible, though six or seven years in the cellar will allow its earthy, mineral, sauvage side to come more into the forefront. At $49.95, the value here is very, very impressive.
The 1er Cru Les Chaignots comes from the Northern side of Nuits, abutting Vosne-Romanée. Here Chevillon is a little less massive and muscular. There's some of Vosne's spice and gentle richness of aroma on the nose. Burghound calls it "Vosne/Nuits hybrid." There is an impeccable balance between the spicy, floral aromatics of Vosne and the saturating, über-concentrated palate.
The 1er Cru Les Cailles is the stoniest plot delivering an epic depth of structure. The striking thing is that amidst all this power the wine manages an undeniable elegance. Burghound pretty much nails it when he writes, "a focused and intense wine of style and grace...that should amply reward long-term cellaring." Sourced from a tiny 1.12 hectare plot, vine age here averages around 75+ years.
This is an impressive trio of wines. This is Burgundy at its most unyieldingly honest, at its most soil driven. Chevillon achieved something truly awe-inspiring in 2010. As we mentioned above, quantities are limited.
Let us know your ideal order and we'll do our best!
To order, please email us at offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Ian McFadden
Director, Fine & Rare Wine
Crush Wine & Spirits