Cellar Favorite: 1996 Domaine Leroy Nuits Saint-Georges Aux Boudots 1er Cru

It is strange to think that back in the early days of my career I owned several bottles of Domaine Leroy, which I’m pretty sure included this one. I remember a friend had a few on his list, and I was in the mood to splash out the 50 or 60 quid being asked. You would need to add a couple of zeros on the end of the price tag to buy the exact same wine nowadays.

A good friend opened this bottle during my recent trip to Burgundy. It had been quite a while since I last tasted any wine from Lalou Bize-Leroy. This was a pleasure to enjoy for what it is…a nice bottle of Pinot Noir. The 1996 Nuits Saint-Georges Aux Boudots 1er Cru (and this bottle is definitely Aux and not Les Boudots) is showing some browning on the rim but is healthy and clear in color. The nose is fully mature and quite ferrous in style. It’s a little rustic at first pour, though it coheres in the glass, gaining depth of fruit—mulberries and touches of wild strawberry. The palate is, again, a little rustic, as many Côte de Nuits from this vintage tend to be. It is not a powerful Nuits Saint-Georges, but the tannins are palpable and there is a sense of heartwarming earthiness, just a little fungal toward the finish. This takes time to find its feet, so I was grateful to be drinking the wine rather than tasting it. The 1996 will not improve, so if you are fortunate to own a bottle, especially if you paid a similar price to what I did back in the day, feel free to open. Just give it time to aerate. 92/2025-2038