Maison Roche de Bellene Vieilles Vignes Nuits-Saint-Georges 2017

Nuits-Saint-Georges is the burly, brooding heart of the Côte de Nuits, and old-vine Pinot from here doesn't usually come cheap or easy. This is Nicolas Potel's négociant cuvée, pulled from a handful of ancient parcels and destined to drink beautifully now, or in another 10 years. But don't wait... our stash is small and our price is silly.

Roche de Bellene is Nicolas Potel's négociant label, the wines he made from carefully bought-in fruit, while the Domaine de Bellene name is reserved for his estate vines. With Roche de Bellene, Nicolas worked a network of growers across Burgundy's best sites, and hand-picked which parcels went into each blend. For this old-vine Nuits-Saint-Georges (the second-largest commune in the Côte d'Or) he pulled from several ancient parcels on east-facing clay-limestone across the appellation, including the lieux-dits La Charmotte, Aux Chouillets, Aux Saints Juliens, and Les Argillats. It's made the textbook old-school way, with hand-harvesting and sorting, fermenting with native yeasts and a portion of whole bunches, then up to 18 months in partly new oak. (Nicolas Potel fans know his back labels are gloriously nerdy, detailing plantation dates, rootstock, exposition, altitude, even GPS coordinates.) He passed away in the summer of 2025, so bottles carrying his fingerprints only get more meaningful.

After the frost-ravaged, tiny 2016 crop, 2017 came back generous and exceptionally healthy, and the Côte de Nuits made some of the vintage's best reds. The style is fragrant and terroir-true, with attractive fruit, lacy tannins, and bright freshness. It's a charming, drink-now Burgundy that the French have affectionately designated a "restaurant vintage." In other words, no long wait required, though the more concentrated cuvées like this old-vine bottling will happily cruise for several more years.

In the glass, expect classic Nuits-Saint-Georges characters of red currant, red rose, and dark cherry, with savory accents of cola, allspice, black tea, tar, blood orange, and a bit of forest floor. It's medium-bodied, smooth and velvety, framed by fine-grained tannins, a mineral thread and a long, gently spiced finish. Glorious, serious old-vine Burgundy... not-so-serious price. No matter what, best to hurry. Our numbers won't last long!