2018 Domaine David Duband, Nuits-Saint-Georges, Premier Cru, Aux Thorey, Côte de Nuits, Red Burgundy, France.
I was excited to taste this vibrant and brambly dark garnet and ruby hued 2018 Duband Nuits-Saint-Georges Aux Thorey Premier Cru Burgundy which was sourced from vines that average 60 year old with most planted in the 1950s in this little known cru set on sandy and pebbly limestone and clay soils on a medium slope, of which I found beautifully crafted. The medium/full palate is nicely concentrated with black cherry, briar laced raspberry, earthy currant, strawberry and tangy pomegranate fruits, along with a whole cluster crunchiness, smoky mineral, loads of spice, leather, subtle wood notes and blood orange notes. The Duband family domaine was originally founded in 1963, and David took over in 1991 moving away from conventional farming and converting to organics, which started really changing things for this almost unheard of property and David began his mercurial rise as a vigneron and winemaker. The certification of organics in 2006 and the quality of the wines started turning heads, allowing him to invest in some prime locations, including old-vine parcels in the famous Grand Crus, such as Clos de la Roche and Charmes-Chambertin! It’s noted that in the cellar, David changed course with his 2008s, going for a more modern brighter, less oak driven style with a focus on transparency, which has served him well and the wines all show individual terroir distinction and still have a sense of richness, complexity and heightened aromatics. This all clicked when I had this rare Aux Thorey and I really enjoyed the pop of the whole bunch fermentation and when I first tasted it, blind, I almost thought it was a Pommard, it showed a grip and more red fruit character than the darker more blue fruited and violet laced Les Pruliers by Duband that I tried a few years ago, I only wish I had a few bottles myself.
Now one of Burgundy’s stars, I first tasted with David Duband back in 2016 in San Francisco, and I wrote my first of my reviews of his wines in the Summer of 2017, when I sampled his brilliant set of 2014 wines, writing about the absolutely spectacular Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Pruliers. That wine was every bit as good as a Grand Cru, and Burgundies twice, three or almost four times the price, again proving to me once again that some of these Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier Crus are stupidly underrated and in most cases under valued, asking the question, will they ever get Grand Cru status? Duband who took over some fantastic plots has crafted a gorgeous collection of reds, with his Les Pruliers leading the way, even over his fine Echezeaux Grand Cru, and this 2018 Aux Thorey 1er Cru, a site which I haven’t had many times if ever, is not far off and a real sleeper in the current lineup. As his importer, the late Becky Wasserman, has noted, Duband’s vineyards are exclusively located in the Côte de Nuits, where Pinot Noir is king. He farms a stellar collection of village vines too, including all the major communes from Gevrey-Chambertin to Nuits-Saint-Georges, and excellent Premier Crus in Chambolle-Musigny, Morey-Saint-Denis and Nuits-Saint-Georges, as seen here, plus his Grand Crus, which there are now six different ones in his portfolio. The winemaking is thoughtful here, with the Premier Crus getting close to 80 to 90 percent whole cluster and some 70 percent stems in the fermentation, adding energy and savory complexity. The maceration usually lasts just under three weeks, after which the must is pressed to tank to settle before going to barrel, with Duband using just about 30% new wood on the Premier Crus and the wine matures for close to 14 months in the 225L barriques and then an extra couple of months in stainless steel vat before bottling unfined and unfiltered. These are exceptional wines that I highly recommend for those that have never had Duband before and that love authentically raw, but elegant Burgundies.
($131 Est.) 94 Points, grapelive