2017 Domaine Bertrand Machard de Gramont Aux Allots Nuits-Saint-Georges 750 ml

Savvy French buyers know the same thing we know: the Aux Allots lieux-dit can deliver Premier Cru-level quality, and Machard de Gramont’s bottling, which comes from 80- to 100-year-old vines, shows the polish, poise, and complexity of its world-renowned neighbors. 

In Aux Allots, Machard de Gramont farms some of the region’s oldest vines, rooted halfway up the slope, where deep layers of limestone and clay yield beautiful fruit and savoriness. Near the southern tip of the Côte de Nuits, Nuits-St.-Georges experiences slightly warmer temperatures than the rest of the region, giving the wine a little more muscle without sacrificing any of its focus and elegance. 

Those qualities are especially evident in this 2017 bottling, which emerged from a vintage that Vinous called “a modern classic” and Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate said produced reds of “incredible grace and succulence.”

Bertrand Machard de Gramont settled in Nuits-St.-Georges after training at the legendary Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé. He carried that expertise into his new venture, crafting Pinot Noirs full of character. His daughter Axelle joined in 2004 and implemented wholly organic, low-intervention practices that have further elevated the wines’ purity and freshness. 

For the 2017, Axelle completely destemmed the Aux Allots’ pristine Pinot Noir, emphasizing its elegance and focus, before laying it down for 18-20 months in oak, where it gained its incredible polish and depth of flavor. It’s a gorgeous Pinot Noir from a gem of the Côte de Nuits, and one that no Pinot lover should pass up.