Domaine Pierre-Olivier Garcia, Les Herbues, Nuits-Saint-Georges 2022 - 75cl
Pierre-Olivier Garcia is one of the younger names to watch on the Cote de Nuits, farming organically and working in tiny quantities from parcels most growers would overlook. Les Herbues sits on the Nuits-Saint-Georges side of the border with Vosne-Romanee, on a thin sheet of sandy silt over eroded limestone, and Garcia's plot here is minuscule. Much of the fruit is sorted berry by berry, which gives the wine an airy, almost weightless feel rare in a village so often built around muscle. The 2022 is a ripe, generous vintage, and it has filled this delicate frame with fruit.
The nose leads with dark cherry and wild strawberry over a savoury, earthy base, the limestone lending a mineral cut beneath. On the palate it is rounder than you might expect from the address, with soft, crushed tannins and a mid-weight core of dark cherry and forest floor. Medium acidity keeps it fresh, and the finish is gentle rather than grippy, an easy but genuinely refined glass that still shows the seriousness of its terroir. It drinks well young, though a few years in bottle will add depth. A lovely introduction to what a thoughtful young grower can do with an overlooked corner of Nuits.
How to Serve
Serve at 15 to 17C in a Burgundy glass. Decanting is optional; twenty minutes of air is plenty for a wine this open.
Where to Drink It
Noble Rot Soho, whose list champions growers like Garcia.
The River Cafe, with something simple and seasonal.
The Wolseley, for an unfussy supper with a good glass in hand.
Food Pairings
Roast chicken with morels and a splash of vin jaune, the classic Burgundian answer.
