2021 Maxime Cheurlin Noëllat Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits

This humble (and stunning) Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits opens with clean aromas of red cherry, raspberry, and wild strawberry, accented by subtle floral and lightly herbal notes. On the palate, the wine is fresh and medium-light in body, with bright acidity carrying the red-fruit core and fine, unobtrusive tannins providing gentle structure. A faint mineral note adds texture through the mid-palate.

Maxime Cheurlin was only 20 years old in 2010 when he took over this historic estate, located in the heart of Vosne-Romanée. The history of the domaine starts with Georges Noëllat, who was the nephew of Charles Noëllat, once the proprietor of one of Vosne’s greatest domaines, which eventually was split up into parts that eventually formed the vast majority of Domaine Leroy.

After George’s passing, his wife took over the management of the estate, eventually passing the domaine down to their daughter Maria Theresa Noellat and her husband Jacques Cheurlin (a Champagne grower) in 1991. Maria Theresa managed the estate until 2009, when she passed the domaine to her grandson Maxime Cheurlin, who runs the estate today.

Maxime grew up in Champagne, but took his winemaking studies at the Lycée du Viticole in Beaune with stages at Domaine Emmanuel Rouget (Maxime is cousins with the sons of Emmanuel Rouget) and Domaine Gros Frère et Soeur, before settling at his family domaine.