2021 Vougeot, Les Cras, 1er Cru, Domaine François Legros, Burgundy

The 2021 Vougeot Les Cras 1er Cru has an attractive nose with brambly redcurrant and cranberry fruit, perhaps without the complexity of Legros's finest Chambolles or Moreys. The palate is well balanced with what feels like "chunky" tannins, very saline, almost briny with a healthy sprinkling of cracked black pepper on the finish. It's got more personality than sheer class. This is my second visit in a year to this Domaine based on the outskirts of Nuits Saint-George. Newbuild homes are surrounding François Legros’s winery, thankfully not impeding on any sacred vineyards. “The whites are vinified in stainless steel but transferred into barrel halfway through the alcohol fermentation,” Legros tells me. “They are matured in 30% new oak, and the rest one and two years old. I started the picking on 21 or 22 September.” The standout in 2021 is a wonderful Chambolle-Musigny Les Noirots and Morey-Saint-Denis Millandes. The already bottled whites are generally fresh and approachable, particularly strong in Saint-Aubin.Drink 2024 - 2036Neil Martin, Vinous.com.com (January 2023)