2019 Faiveley Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Damodes, Cote de Nuits

Aromas of cassis, plums, orange rind and spicy new oak preface Faiveley's 2019 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Damodes, a medium to full-bodied, deep and lively wine with a concentrated core of fruit, framed by powdery tannins. Concluding with a long, mineral finish, it's another fine bottling from this cool, high-altitude and northeast-exposed site.

Jérôme Flous told me that Faiveley began picking on September 9, finishing by the 20th, and that yields averaged out at around 35 hectoliters per hectare in white and a little less in red. Comparing the 2019 vintage to "a more concentrated version of 2010," he admires—as I do—its vibrant fruit tones and refined tannins, finding it more elegant than 2018. The quality of the red wines chez Faiveley is old news, and for more information on this firm's evolution I direct readers to my report published in the August 2020 Week 1 issue of The Wine Advocate. It's worth underlining, however, how good the whites are these days: Flous tells me that he now includes fûts from Damy and Chassin in the white wine barrel program, and in the last few vintages, I've found the wines' new oak component better and better integrated.

92-94 points William Kelley robertparker.com

The 2019 Nuits Saints-Georges Les Damodes 1er Cru has a soft, supple bouquet, the 100% destemming lending freshness and sensuality, and a little brine emerging with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with lithe tannins, touches of blood orange and orange peel lacing the dark berry and spicy notes toward the finish. Give this 3–5 years in bottle.

89-91 points Neal Martin vinous.com