Nuits-Saint-Georges La Petite Charmotte 2021 Charles Lachaux

Nuits-Saint-Georges La Petite Charmotte 2021 — Charles Lachaux

This Nuits-Saint-Georges La Petite Charmotte 2021 from Charles Lachaux embodies a rare, precise and deeply vibrant expression of Pinot Noir from the Côte de Nuits. From a Nuits-Saint-Georges terroir with a character that is at once structured, floral and mineral, this wine stands out through a contemporary approach of great finesse, highlighting fruit energy, aromatic purity and delicate texture. In the 2021 vintage, fresh, taut and highly transparent, La Petite Charmotte offers a chiselled palette: red cherry, Morello cherry, raspberry, redcurrant, wild strawberry, old rose, violet, peony, fine spices, black tea, light liquorice, noble earth, delicate forest floor and a long mineral finish.

Charles Lachaux is among the most sought-after names in Burgundy, recognised for wines of singular intensity, great purity and a very precise reading of noble vegetal nuance, fruit and terroir. His wines favour infusion, lift, tannic finesse and aromatic vibration rather than demonstrative power. The 2021 vintage, fresher and more classical, particularly highlights tension, Pinot Noir transparency and the floral dimension of this cuvée.

Terroir: Nuits-Saint-Georges, structure, freshness and Côte de Nuits precision

The village of Nuits-Saint-Georges is renowned for Pinot Noir with an assertive character, often marked by structure, earthy depth and strong ageing capacity. Depending on the sector, clay-limestone and stony soils can give the wine an expression that is firm, floral, spicy and mineral, with great persistence on the finish.

In La Petite Charmotte, Charles Lachaux highlights a fine, airy and highly precise reading of this terroir. The wine does not seek extraction, but rather balance between red fruit, florality, mineral tension and silky texture. In 2021, the freshness of the vintage accentuates aromatic clarity, fruit brilliance and the delicately spicy dimension of Pinot Noir.

Tasting notes

Appearance: pale, luminous ruby with delicate garnet reflections, bright, fine and still very youthful. The colour reflects the freshness of the 2021 vintage, the purity of Pinot Noir and a still-slow evolution towards greater floral and spicy nuance.

Nose: fine, pure and highly expressive, with red cherry, Morello cherry, raspberry, redcurrant, wild strawberry, small red fruits, old rose, violet, peony, fine spices and black tea. With aeration, nuances of delicate forest floor, noble earth, bark, light liquorice, sweet pepper, fine herbs, fine leather and limestone minerality may appear.

Palate: slender, fresh, silky and finely structured, with precise red fruit carried by clear tension. Flavours of cherry, Morello cherry, raspberry, redcurrant, wild strawberry, fine spices, black tea, dried flowers and fine earth unfold with delicacy and energy. The finish is long, mineral, lightly saline and floral, with an impression of purity, vibration and great Burgundian precision.

Expression of the 2021 vintage

The 2021 vintage in Burgundy produced red wines that are fresher, more delicate and more transparent, marked by moderate alcohol levels, fine aromatic vivacity and very clear terroir expression. In the Côte de Nuits, this year favours elegance, florality, tannic finesse and precision rather than solar power.

Today, this Nuits-Saint-Georges La Petite Charmotte 2021 from Charles Lachaux remains very young, but it can already seduce through its brightness, energy and delicacy after measured aeration. With time, it will gain complexity around notes of forest floor, fine leather, black tea, melted spices, noble earth and mineral nuances, while preserving the purity of red fruit and the floral dimension of the vintage.