Bourgogne Hautes Côtes De Beaune Domaine Nicolas, Nolay near Puligny.
From the brother and sister team of the Nicolas family from Nolay, which is just beside Puligny-Montrachet. This wine has all the knowhow of a great Puligny, Chassagne or Meursault. Everyone knows the big crus, but when you find one of the smaller cru’s with the same hand that makes the best of the best, that is very cool. ….
This wine has slightly straw nuances with pale gold hues. Aromas of white flowers combine with notes of fruits such as apple, pear and peach. The barrel aging will be felt by its elegant aromas of wood, toast and vanilla. The palate is supple with a beautiful weight and nice balance where citrus notes bring a defined freshness.
The skill set when making good whites in Burgundy, is primarily the guesswork in picking, choosing the right phenolic ripeness. Then obviously the fermentation and elevage… the barrels are key, the toast and the battonage process. How much is the lees used and to what end? We can discuss all off this.. This wine performs even better if decanted and served at 50F
Salads, crustaceans, fish, vegetable wok style dishes, Cheeses Bresse blue, goats and gruyères.
Hautes Cotes means the higher hill sides. This appellation is above and over looking the famed plots down below in the stretch of land known as the gold coast or en francais, la Cote d’or. The wines are subject to higher winds and cooler temperatures. I love them for their qualities of identity. When you taste the whites, there is no mistake that they are white burgundy wines. The use of oak and the toast levels that is a trade secret to each family, the stirring levels, all of this is terroir, and if you ask the wine maker it’s like asking a man has he ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight…
