In the path of cool air circulating from the Combe de Lavaux to the Combe d’Orveau (hence, of course, the name Bel-Air), this is a vineyard that always retains freshness, even in a hot vintage like 2018. Above the Clos de Beze and just below the forest, the soil here is shallow and the slope is steep. Romain idly wondered if this vineyard could yet be reclassified as grand cru in the light of climate change. Sweet, delicate red fruit lifted by cool, fresh acidity, with a fine note of orange appearing on the finish. I observed with great pleasure the change in fruit expression and the rising freshness as the wine moved across the palate. Very fine. (NT 12/11/19)
- Producer
- Taupenot-Merme
- Origin
- Nuits-St-Georges, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy/Beaujolais FRANCE
- Colour
- red
- Wine Style
- dry
- Dominant Grape
- Pinot Noir
- Closure Style
- cork
- Maturity
- drink or keep
- Bottle Size
- 75cl
- Case Quantity
- 6
- Alcohol
- 13%
- Wine Score
- 90-93 points, Jasper Morris, insideburgundy.com, January 2020
91-93 points, Neal Martin, vinous.com, January 2020
91 points, John Gilman, issue 84, viewfromthecellar.com, January 2020
90-93 points, Allen Meadows, burghound.com, January 2020 17+ points,
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Media Reviews
Jasper Morris MW
Just on the edge of the hail zone. Deepish purple, plump dark fruit, some of the prunes, quite weighty could be fresher, slightly dry tannins behind. Muscular and not yet quite in place. 90-93 points
Neal Martin
The 2018 Nuits Saint-Georges Les Pruliers 1er Cru has an impressive bouquet that mingles red and black fruit, woodland/autumn leaves and a pinch of sage. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, very composed and with good intensity. The backbone of this Pruliers is evident toward the finish, which displays fine salinity, completing an accomplished wine. 91-93 points
John Gilman
Like the la Riotte and Bel Air, the 2018 Pruliers chez Taupenot is a ripe and vibrant wine that carries its alcohol quite well, but still shows a whisper of backend heat on the palate. The bouquet is quite complex, delivering a blend of black raspberries, black cherries, balsam bough, dark soil tones, woodsmoke, hung game and cedar. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and rock solid at the core, with a very good soil signature, chewy, firm tannins and just a bit of alcohol poking out on the long, powerful finish. This will need extended cellaring to allow its tannins to start to soften, but there is plenty of depth and complexity here. Like many of the riper 2018 reds, the question is what will the balance of the wine look like fifteen or twenty years down the road, as the style of the vintage is really quite unprecedented for wines cut from this stylistic cloth? Drink 2030-2070. 91+ points
Allen Meadows
There is a background whiff of volatile acidity that adds a bit of lift to the notably ripe aromas of black cherry, cassis, earth and the sauvage. The rich, full-bodied, concentrated and muscular flavors evidence focused power on the balanced, long, rustic and markedly firm finish. This is a wine to buy and forget that you own it as it has excellent development potential. 90-93 points
Alistair Cooper MW
This also shows beautiful purity to the fruit a nd a vibrancy aromatically. A slight soapy note on the attack and then structured and layered tannins support the wine. There is plenty of weight here, and it’s an opulent style but still maintains a refined character. Very moreish. 17+ points
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