2020: a rare and wonderful vintage – report by Jean-Marc Moron, Domaine des Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges winemaker
After what was a mild and humid winter, the vine awakened in early April 2020 and the first leaves appeared in mid-April on our Côte-de-Nuits Pinot Noirs. The beginning of spring was dry and sunny which got the growing cycle off to a quick start. 7 to 8 leaves were already basking in the warmth of the sun by early May. The absence of spring frosts ensured an energetic start to growth.The first flowers appeared on the vine on 20 May and the flowering stage was in full swing by the end of May in Nuits-Saint-Georges. We were already aware that this year would be an early ripening vintage. The growing cycle advanced quickly and the fruit began to change colour in mid-July. I had estimated that we would begin harvesting on 3 September. The flowering stage lasted for two weeks and by early August the vast majority of the fruit had changed colour and there was good heterogeneity across the vineyard plots. The high daytime temperatures scalded some of the fruit and resulted in significant loss in certain plots. The warm weather continued and there was no disruption to ripening despite the lack of rainfall.
In mid-August, I decided to bring forward the harvest to 27 August. We started with the southern premier crus on day one and added our Gevrey-Chambertin plot on day two. The conditions were perfect, the heat not excessive, and by the morning of 2 September, all of our villages and premier crus had been brought in. The grapes were perfectly healthy and sorting was mainly carried out on vibrating tables which discarded several tens of kilos of dry grapes per day. This gave us a good indication of the loss caused by the scalding (5 to 15% depending on the plot).
The fruit was intensely aromatic, the musts coloured quickly and extraction took place from the beginning of the alcoholic fermentation. This meant that less frequent cap punching was required and maceration was shortened by 2 or 3 days compared to 2019. We were very pleasantly surprised when analysing the musts which confirmed our pre-harvest sampling. They were rich in sugars, yet not excessively so, and had retained high levels of acidity which were unexpected although very impressive considering the ripeness levels. All the signs were pointing towards an outstanding vintage.
By the end of vatting, the wines were showing themselves to be rich, complex and aromatic with smooth, luscious textures and excellent tension resulting in good freshness and length. They are well structured, true to their terroirs, intense and brightly coloured. Malolactic fermentation was complete in all of the wines by the beginning of this year.
Jean-Marc MORON, Domaine des Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges winemaker
A few pictures during the 2020 harvest at Domaine des Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges
Discover all Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges wines for sale at the auction
- Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru LES MURGERS Cuvée Guyard de Changey
- Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru LES CORVEES PAGETS Cuvée St Laurent
- Nuits-Saint-Georges LES MALADIERES LES BRULEES Cuvée Grangier
- Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru LES PORETS Cuvée Antide Midan
- Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru LES BOUDOTS Cuvée Mesny de Boisseaux
- Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru LES DIDIERS Cuvée Fagon
- Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru LES VIGNERONDES Cuvée Bernarde Delesclache
- Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru LES RUES DE CHAUX Cuvée Camille Rodier
- Nuits-Saint-Georges LES LAVIERES – LES BAS DE COMBE Cuvée Guillaume Labye
- Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru LES SAINT GEORGES – LES SIRES DE VERGY Cuvée Georges Faiveley
- Gevrey Chambertin LES CHAMPS CHENYS Cuvée Irène Noblet
- Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru LES TERRES BLANCHES Cuvée Pierre de Pême
- Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru LES DIDIERS Cuvée Cabet
- Nuits-Saint-Georges LES SAINT JULIEN – LES PLATEAUX Cuvée Claude Poyen
- Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru LES SAINT GEORGES Cuvée des Sires de Vergy
- Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru LES DIDIERS Cuvée Jacques Duret
- Nuits-Saint-Georges LES FLEURIERES – LES PLANTES AU BARON Cuvée des Sœurs Hospitalières
- Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru LES TERRES BLANCHES Cuvée St Bernard de Citeaux
Domaine des Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges : 8 centuries of History
Founded in 1270, Domaine des Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges is a winemaking hospital just like the Hospices de Beaune, its famous neighbour down south a few kilometres in Beaune.
This prestigious wine estate covers around 13 ha in Nuits-Saint-Georges and Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru vineyards. All its harvest (around 150 barrels) are sold at a fantastic wine auction in Chateau du Clos de Vougeot every second Sunday of March following harvest