The legacy of Henri Gouges

The wines of Maison Henri Gouges from the commune of Nuits-Saint-Georges are considered among Burgundy's hidden gems

- Ruma Singh

On a warm August afternoon, I drove down the Routes des Grands Crus into the historic town of Nuits-Saint Georges. With a population of 5,000, this small town is nestled in the heart of Burgundy’s Côte d’Or within the commune of Beaune. The houses were shuttered and the streets quiet as I arrived.

The premises of Domaine Henri Gouges were quiet too, but deceptively so. As I entered the front office, I sensed a perceptible buzz of activity coming from the winery in the distance. Viviana Jaimon, communications and wine tourism manager, who had come out to greet me, explained the harvest was not far off, so it was all hands-on deck to get the winery prepped and ready to receive the fruit.

At first glance, the domaine may seem compact, but it carries a mighty reputation and a storied history. Dating back to 1919, the domaine, which owns 14 hectares of vineyards, all within the commune of Nuits-SaintGeorges, has built a reputation for making exceptional age-worthy Pinot Noir. Its portfolio today consists of eight Premier Cru wines, three regional Bourgogne wines and two village-level Cru wines. Its current premises in central Nuits-Saint-Georges once belonged to the Gendarmerie Nationale before Henri Gouges acquired them in the 1920s, shortly after he founded his domaine in 1919.

Understanding Burgundy’s complex multitiered system is important to recognise why much of the region’s wines are so eye-wateringly expensive. Burgundy’s pyramid-shaped appellation system was officially introduced in 1936. It places the largest production, the regional wines, made from grapes grown anywhere within Burgundy at the bottom. This is followed by village or commune-level wines made from grapes grown within a specific village appellation in Burgundy. Above this are the Premier Crus, and finally at the very top of the pyramid are the much-vaunted Grand Crus — representing just one percent of the region’s wines and only 33 in number.