A village Nuits-Saint-Georges from the single lieu-dit Aux Allots, made by Domaine Leroy in 2011. Leroy treats its village reds with the same care as its Grands Crus, and this one comes from the Vosne-Romanée side of Nuits.
About This Wine
Aux Allots is a village lieu-dit of just under 8 hectares in the northern part of Nuits-Saint-Georges, close to the Vosne-Romanée boundary. It sits mid-slope and faces east at around 230 to 250 metres, just below the Premiers Crus Aux Murgers and Aux Boudots, on pebbly limestone mixed with silt and clay. Leroy owns a little over half a hectare. 2011 was an uneven growing season, but Wine Advocate's Neal Martin picked out Leroy's Nuits-Saint-Georges village wines as a highlight of the domaine's 2011 range.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Black cherry, raspberry and damp earth, with a hint of game and sweet spice from the oak.
- Palate: Medium-bodied and fresh, with fine tannin and more depth than the village label suggests.
- Finish: Savoury and quite long, with cherry stone and a touch of forest floor.
Serving & Food
At around fifteen years old it should be drinking well now and for several years yet. Stand the bottle upright a day ahead, decant briefly off any sediment, and pour at about 16°C. Good company for roast pigeon, coq au vin or a mushroom and chestnut pie.
How to Enjoy
A way into the Leroy style through a village wine, or a mature Côte de Nuits red for a relaxed dinner.
Product Details
Producer: Domaine Leroy
Appellation: Nuits-Saint-Georges, Côte de Nuits, Burgundy, France
Lieu-dit: Aux Allots
Classification: Village
Vintage: 2011
Grape: Pinot Noir
Volume: 750mL
About the Maison
Lalou Bize-Leroy spent decades running her family's négociant house, Maison Leroy, and was for many years co-director of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. Her own estate began in 1988 with the purchase of the Charles Noëllat vineyards in Vosne-Romanée, followed by Philippe Remy's holdings in Gevrey-Chambertin. The vines have been farmed biodynamically since 1989, free of herbicides and synthetic treatments.
The approach barely changes from village to Grand Cru: severe pruning, very small crops, fermentation with whole clusters, then new oak and bottling without fining or filtration. It gives village wines of a density that often surprises people meeting Leroy for the first time.