2011 Nuits St Georges Clos St Marc

Tasted blind at the Burgundy 2011 horizontal tasting in Beaune. The Nuits Saint Georges 1er Cru Clos Saint Marc 2011 errs toward a more modern style of Pinot Noir on the nose, but it has great detail and definition with deftly integrated oak that has a spring in its step. The palate is a little chewy on the entry with sappy redcurrant and raspberry notes, but toward the second half it begins to feel a little over-extracted and loses a sense of tension and poise. It just seems slightly overdone in the winery, when more prudence would have paid dividends.

Transparent and lively and with real spine and structure. Fresh, fully ripe fruit. Rather tough finish. Very drying. But there is energy there. (JR)