Nuits-Saint-Georges, Edouard Delaunay, 2020
Nuits-Saint-Georges, Edouard Delaunay, 2020
- 75cl
- 14%
- Red Still
- Pinot Noir
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Optimal drinking window: Now - 2036
This wine captures everything we love about Nuits-Saint-Georges — structure, energy, and just the right touch of generosity. The nose leads with ripe red and black cherries, dark berries and a hint of violet, followed by subtle spice, forest floor and a touch of oak. It’s supple yet confident, with silky tannins wrapped around fresh fruit and a core of minerality.
2020 was an exceptional year in Burgundy. Despite the heat and drought, many growers achieved brilliant balance, and the reds are particularly exciting: concentrated fruit yet surprisingly fresh, with fine tannins and lifted acidity. It’s a vintage that’s both charming young and capable of ageing gracefully.
Delaunay's choice of parcels, and pragmatic approach – where every cuvée is treated individually without a set formula for quantity of new oak, or amount of whole bunches used, allows each wine to offer a true and deeply satisfying expression of the terroirs.
Right now, in 2026, this is in a flattering early window — the 2020 fruit is still vivid and the tannins are already approachable, which is exactly what James Suckling meant by that black-cherry charm showing early. Over the next two to three years, the primary fruit will begin to integrate and a more savoury, earthy complexity will start to emerge, which is when Nuits really begins to show its character. By around 2029-2031 we'd expect this to be at or near its peak, with the structure and freshness of the vintage holding things together nicely. It's not a wine built for the very long haul in the way a premier cru might be, but there's no rush — the 2020 vintage has genuine ageing potential and we wouldn't panic if a bottle sat in the cellar until 2036 or so.
What the critics say:
"A ripe and surprisingly silky wine for this appellation, which is so often associated with chewy tannins. And that gives it a lot of black-cherry charm even at this very youthful stage. The supple tannins nicely support the moderately dry finish. Drink or hold."
Tasting Notes
AppearanceDeep, clear ruby with a bright violet edge that speaks to the vintage's youthful energy.
NoseRipe black cherry and dark plum up front, with violet and a whisper of forest floor underneath. There's a subtle spice from oak that integrates rather than intrudes, and a cool mineral thread running through it all.
PalateWhat strikes you first is how supple this is for Nuits — the tannins are genuinely silky, yet there's real structure beneath them. Fresh acidity keeps the concentrated 2020 fruit honest, and the minerality on the mid-palate gives the wine its backbone without any austerity.
FinishMedium-long, moderately dry, with black cherry and a faint stony lift that lingers cleanly.
Overall impressionA Nuits that wins you over with charm rather than muscle, and is better for it.
Food Pairings
In Burgundy, a wine like this would find its way to the table alongside boeuf bourguignon — the slow-braised beef drawing out the wine's fruit and softening its structure in the most satisfying way. The locals also have a particular fondness for coq au vin, where the richness of the dish and the freshness of the wine create a back-and-forth that neither could manage alone. Époisses, the pungent washed-rind cheese made just down the road in the Côte d'Or, is a classic match for this style of Pinot, the saltiness and funk cutting through the wine's fruit beautifully. Simpler preparations work too: roast guinea fowl with thyme, or a good duck confit with lentils, both of which let the wine's minerality do the talking.
We think this wine would go well with
Serve at around 16-17°C — slightly cooler than you might think, which keeps the freshness alive and prevents the fruit from going jammy in the glass. A 20-30 minute decant is worthwhile: it opens up the nose and softens any remaining youthful grip without stripping the wine of its energy. A medium-sized Burgundy glass with a generous bowl is ideal, giving the aromas room to gather without dispersing too quickly. If you're opening it with dinner, pour it when you sit down and let the glass do the rest of the work.
Nuits-Saint-Georges sits at the southern end of the Côte de Nuits, where the limestone bedrock is overlaid with clay-rich soils that hold just enough moisture to sustain the vine through warm years. The parcels in the village appellation tend to sit on the flatter ground between the premiers crus, where deeper soils give wines a little more flesh and approachability than the steeper, stonier hillside sites. The 2020 growing season brought exceptional heat and low rainfall, concentrating the fruit while the altitude and cooler nights preserved the freshness that makes good Nuits so rewarding. That combination of richness and energy is precisely what Delaunay's parcels delivered.
Nuits-Saint-Georges is the southernmost major commune of the Côte de Nuits and has no grand cru — a quirk of history that still puzzles wine lovers, given that several of its premiers crus rival anything in Gevrey or Vosne. The appellation is known for producing some of Burgundy's most muscular, savoury Pinot Noirs: firmer tannins than Chambolle, more grip than Vosne, and a mineral earthiness that's entirely its own. Village-level wines offer a genuine entry point into this character without the price tag of the 41 premiers crus above them. At their best, they're structured enough to age but generous enough to enjoy within a few years of release.
We'll be honest: 2020 in Burgundy was a vintage that kept everyone on their toes. A warm, dry spring brought early budbreak, then summer turned properly scorching with temperatures hitting 40°C in August. The saving grace came from perfectly timed August rains that rescued the vines from serious drought stress, followed by ideal September weather that allowed for unhurried picking. Yields were mercifully normal after several years of frost-ravaged harvests, and crucially, the heat never tipped into the jammy territory that can plague warmer vintages here.
What emerged were wines with surprising freshness despite the heat, showing ripe fruit balanced by good acidity and lovely mineral precision. The reds have more immediate charm than the structured 2019s, with silky tannins and generous Pinot Noir character, whilst the whites display beautiful richness without losing that crystalline Burgundian tension we adore. This isn't a legendary vintage like 2005 or 2010, but it's thoroughly delicious and more approachable in youth than many Burgundy vintages. The village wines are drinking beautifully now, Premier Crus are just hitting their stride, and the Grands Crus will reward patience for another five to ten years.
FAQs
What does this wine taste like?
Think ripe black cherry and dark plum with a violet lift, subtle spice from oak, and a cool mineral thread running through the palate. What makes it distinctive for Nuits-Saint-Georges is the silkiness of the tannins — this appellation is usually associated with more grip and muscle, but the 2020 vintage and Delaunay's approach to winemaking give it genuine suppleness alongside the structure.
When should I drink this wine?
It's already drinking well and the fruit is generous enough to enjoy now. That said, it will reward a few more years in the cellar: somewhere between 2028 and 2031 is likely to be its sweet spot, when the fruit has integrated and the earthy, savoury complexity of good Nuits begins to emerge. We'd be comfortable drinking it until 2036.
What food should I pair it with?
This is a natural partner for slow-braised or roasted meat — boeuf bourguignon is the obvious local answer, but roast duck, guinea fowl, or coq au vin all work brilliantly. If you're going the cheese route, a ripe Époisses or a good aged comté will hold their own against the wine's structure. Keep things savoury rather than sweet.
Should I decant it?
A short decant of 20-30 minutes is worthwhile, even at this stage. It opens up the nose and smooths any remaining youthful tannin without stripping the freshness. Serve it at around 16-17°C — a touch cooler than room temperature — and use a medium Burgundy bowl to let the aromas develop properly.
Is this worth cellaring?
Yes, though it's not a wine that demands patience the way a premier cru Nuits might. The 2020 vintage has real concentration and freshness in equal measure, which gives it the backbone to develop over the next eight to ten years. If you have the patience to wait until around 2029-2031, you'll be rewarded with greater complexity. If you don't, you won't be disappointed opening it tonight either.
What makes Edouard Delaunay's approach distinctive?
Delaunay treats each cuvée individually rather than applying a house formula — the amount of new oak and whole-bunch fermentation varies wine by wine depending on what each parcel needs. It's a pragmatic, hands-on approach that prioritises the character of the fruit over stylistic consistency, and in a vintage like 2020 that kind of attentiveness really pays off.
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