Exploring the Essence of Burgundy: An Interview and Tasting Experience at Dufouleur Freres in Nuits-Saint-Georges, France Chris Lehoux, July 16, 2024 This is the first in a series of three articles about wineries in Nuits-Saint-Georges, France visited by the author earlier this year. NUITS-SAINT-GEORGES, FRANCE – Two green street signs stand near a busy intersection on a two-lane road running through this small village. One sign says “BEAUNE” and points south. The other sign says “DIJON” and points in the opposite direction. In a sense, those two street signs reflect Nuits-Saint-Georges’ position as an important crossroads within the Cote D’Or, the name of the legendary, 50-mile-long wine region in Burgundy. North of Nuits-Saint-Georges to Dijon contains the Cote D’Or subregion known as the Cote De Nuits, which is famous for its out-of-this world pinot noir red wines. South of Nuits-Saint-Georges you’ll find the other Cote D’Or subregion known as the Cote De Beaune, which has world-class chardonnay white wines and many outstanding reds. Even so, many motorists quickly drive through this busy intersection in Nuits-Saint-Georges on their way to better-known places in Burgundy. They also probably don’t even notice the winery tucked behind the nearly one-story-high, white stone wall located there. Although if you’re a cycling fan, you may have recently caught of glimpse of Dufouleur Freres’ beautiful, two-story stone building just to the left of the starting line of Stage Seven of the Tour De France. But this winery and the village it’s located in definitely deserve more attention. That’s because many of the wines produced by Dufouleur Freres and other wineries in Nuits-Saint-Georges consistently taste great year in and year out. And while the prices have gradually started to increase like many other wines throughout Burgundy, you can still find outstanding bargains from Nuits-Saint-Georges and especially from Dufouleur Freres. This week, you can learn all about this winery as well as about Nuits-Saint-Georges in general in this first story in a series of three articles about this charming, hard-working French winemaking village in the heart of Burgundy. You can also find tasting notes for 12 wines tasted at the winery this past January with Jean Dufouleur. Hope you enjoy. History of winemaking in Nuits-Saint-Georges Like many winemaking villages in Burgundy, Nuits-Saint-Georges has been making wine for hundreds of years. Exactly when people started growing grapes here to make wine remains unknown. References to wine from here date back to the late 1600s, but people were making wine in Nuits-Saint-Georges long before then. And it wasn’t until 1892 that winemakers in Nuits-Saint-Georges were finally able to put the name of the village on the labels of wines from here. This was also the same year (1892) when the village changed its name from Nuits to Nuits-Saint-Georges. Like many other villages in Burgundy, the name was changed to add the name of one of the best-known wine vineyards in the village, which in this case is Les Saint Georges. Wine classification in Nuits-Saint-Georges In 1930, winemakers and officials who regulate wine in Burgundy began classifying certain vineyards in Nuits-Saint-Georges and other villages. There are three classifications based on the quality of the wine from particular vineyards: History of Dufouleur Freres The Dufouleur family can trace its roots back in Nuits-Saint-Georges to the 1500s and began making wine at its current location in 1596. The family name, Dufouleur, means “grape crusher” in French and that’s what family members reportedly did more than four centuries ago. The winery’s beautiful two-story house dates back to the 1800s, when the Dufouleur family formally entered the wine-making business in 1848. Soon after, the family began buying parts of various vineyards in Nuits-Saint-Georges and throughout Burgundy. Dufouleur Freres remains a relatively small wine producer in Burgundy. They own 14 acres of vineyards throughout Burgundy. The winery also purchases a small number of grapes from other vineyards to produce many outstanding, mostly red wines. Wine Tasting Notes (Writer’s tasting notes for three white wines and nine red wines, all tasted at the winery this past January with Jean Dufouleur.) White Wines 2021 Dufouleur Freres Le Fouleur Vin De Bourgogne Chardonnay Winemaker’s comments: “Humble wine, easy to open, easy to understand, straightforward chardonnay, pure, unoaked.” Tasting notes: Made with chardonnay grapes, this bright, lively wine has a light, mineral-like finish with hints of peach, lemon and citrus-like flavors. Very refreshing, easy drinking, delightful chardonnay. 2021 Dufouleur Freres Bourgogne Aligote Winemaker’s comments: “Has a little bit of oak, just 5 to 10 percent, just to make it a little more noble.” Tasting notes: Made with 100 percent aligote grapes, this wine has a slightly tart finish with hints of green apple and just a touch of oak. Great food wine that beautifully brings to life this lesser-known white wine grape. 2020 Dufouleur Freres Nuits-Saint-Georges Recolte Cuvee Du Chateau Winemaker’s comments: “Definitely more oak. The biggest surprise is it’s a blend of different grape varieties, which is really almost never the case in Burgundy. It’s really nice.” Tasting notes: Made with a blend of 70 percent chardonnay and 30 percent pinot blanc, this outstanding white wine has subtle finish with hints of butter, sea salt, popcorn, lemon and fresh cream. Floral, fragrant aromas and flavors abound in this blended white wine that’s a real treat. Red Wines All made with pinot noir grapes 2022 Dufouleur Freres Le Fouleur Bourgogne Pinot Noir Winemaker’s comments: “Regional wine. The purpose is to create a simple, humble, interesting pinot noir.” Tasting notes: Give this wine a few minutes to open up in the glass. Initially, it’s intense and a bit tight. But give this red wine a few minutes and those flavors become more open and fruit like with hints of cherry and blackberry. 2018 Dufouleur Freres Les Fourches Cotes De Nuits Villages Winemaker’s comments: “Humble, complex, with fresh berries, a little tannin, maybe a hint of cherry pits.” Tasting notes: Well-rounded, dense red wine with hints of roasted cherries, tobacco, dark chocolate and almonds. Not a sharp edge at all to this wine filled with compact flavors that last several seconds after each sip. 2020 Dufouleur Freres Le Vaucrain Cotes De Nuits Villages Winemaker’s comments: “The tannins are a bit more abundant, tobacco, well rounded, a bit of power.” Tasting notes: Big, beautiful, well-rounded wine with hints of dense blackberry flavors and other graceful, well-rounded fruit flavors. Really opens up nicely in the glass without sacrificing the initial power and intensity straight out of the bottle. 2018 Dufouleur Freres Fixin Les Foussotes Winemaker’s comments: “This is very classic, very traditional, old style, just right.” Tasting notes: Fixin is the name of the outstanding, often-overlooked winemaking village located north of Nuits-Saint-Georges. Powerful, precise flavors, including big ripe fruit flavors (especially blackberry) mixed with hints of leather and fresh-roasted coffee. 2021 Dufouleur Freres Nuits-Saint-Georges Winemaker’s comments: “Well-balanced, rich and satisfying.” Tasting notes: Delightful, light fruit flavors with a delicate hint of raspberry, cherry, strawberry, and blackberry. Very friendly, approachable wine that tastes great straight out of the bottle and remains consistently wonderful in the glass. 2020 Dufouleur Freres Nuits-Saint-Georges Cuvee Du Chateau Winemaker’s comments: “Sophisticated, delicate, a bit of muscle, a bit of white pepper.” Tasting notes: Round, subtle fruit flavors that have a bigger finish and impact compared to the previous red wine. There’s also not a sharp edge at all in this wonderful, well-rounded red wine with delicate berry fruit flavors. 2019 Dufouleur Freres Vosne-Romanee Les Jacquines Winemaker’s comments: “Very velvety and licorice and soft. Definitely one of my favorites.” Tasting notes: Big, bold, intense red wine from the neighboring village of Vosne-Romanee just to the north. Voluptuous, velvet-like fruit flavors with a dense, concentrated texture that last 10 to 15 seconds after each taste. Magnificent. 2020 Dufouleur Freres Chambolle-Musigny Winemaker’s comments: “Ours is a kind of a strong, robust one. Firm and straightforward.” Tasting notes: This wine from Chambolle-Musigny, another village north of town, has a flinty yet fleshy finish with intense, dense aromas and flavors. This wine needs 10 to 15 minutes to open up in the glass. That’s when the dense, complex fruit flavors with hints of leather emerge. 2020 Dufouleur Freres Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier Cru Les Saint Georges Winemaker’s comments: “This is clearly the best plot of the village. We are blessed to have a slice of it.” Tasting notes: There’s a reason why the town of Nuits added Saint-Georges to its name and this wine from that famous vineyard illustrates why. Soft, subtle, delicate fruit flavors (especially raspberry) somehow manage to also be big and powerful without being overpowering. This high-wire act teeters between intense and gentle and delivers an amazing wine-drinking experience you will never forget. Cheers! Wine Press by Ken Ross appears on Masslive.com every Monday and in The Republican’s Weekend section every Thursday. If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy. About the Author: Chris Lehoux Meet Chris Lehoux, an experienced wine connoisseur and dedicated blogger with a deep passion for all things wine-related. With years of expertise in the industry, Chris shares insightful wine reviews, valuable wine tasting tips, expert pairing advice, and captivating tales of vineyard visits. Join Chris on a journey through the world of wine, where every sip is an adventure waiting to be savored! Wine