Domaine Henri Gouges (Famille Gouges), Nuits-St-Georges

Background

This domaine was founded at the beginning of the 1900’s by Henri Gouges who, along with the Marquis d’Angerville, helped to re-define the original Crus classifications of 1861. He was also amongst the first winemakers to begin bottling his own wine, and can also be credited with the discovery of the famous ‘mutated Pinot Blanc’. It was in 1936 that he found a white grape on a 50 year old pinot noir vine, and through grafting and multiplying, he managed to cover an unused plot of registered 1er Cru La Perriere land with the new plant. More recently a parcel of ‘Appellation Bourgogne’ has also been planted with the same graft.

Henri’s two sons Marcel and Michel continued the development of the domaine. They undertook a significant replanting project, which although left their two sons, Pierre and Christian, with a mass of young vines to work with, has been great for the long term future of the domaine. Today, Pierre is still very much in control in the vineyards, but Christian has taken a back seat in the cellar, handing over the reins to Pierre’s son Gregory, after some 25 years at the helm.

Size: 14.5 hectares

Soil type:	chalky clay.
Vine age:	35 years on average.

Viticultural and vinification methods

Pierre takes great care in the vineyards to regulate the yields while obtaining the optimum grape quality, and chooses to work by organic viticultural practices, and manual harvesting.

The domaine has always employed a traditional vinification, although Pierre’s son Gregory has already made a stylistic impression by slightly softening the vinification of the Nuits village and 1er Cru Porrets, making the tannic presence less obvious, and so enabling these wines to be drunk earlier. Wines are matured in barrels for 18-20 months, with a maximum of 20% new oak.

Wines

Whites

Bourgogne Pinot Blanc

Nuits-St-Georges 1er Cru la Perrière

Nuits-St-Georges 1er Cru Clos des Porrets St Georges

Reds

Bourgogne Pinot Noir

Nuits-St-Georges

Nuits-St-Georges 1er Cru Les Chêne Carteaux

Nuits-St-Georges 1er Cru Les Chaignots

Nuits-St-Georges 1er Cru Les Pruliers

Nuits-St-Georges 1er Cru Clos des Porrets St Georges

Nuits-St-Georges 1er Cru Vaucrains

Nuits-St-Georges 1er Cru Les St. Georges