David Duband Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru ‘Les Proces’ 2020

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

About David Duband

Regarded as one of the rising stars of Burgundy, David Duband took over his family domaine a very young age and now has more than 20 vintages of experience behind him. Starting with very small family holdings David, together with his business partner Francois Feuillet, have added to his portfolio of wines through the purchase of some exceptional old Grand cru vineyards throughout Gevrey Chambertin and Morey St Denis.

In recent years David has adapted his work in both the vineyards and cellars and in the last few years is producing wines with not only remarkable finesse and detail but also exhilarating intensity and freshness. Working organically in the vineyards and with low levels of S02 in the cellar he also uses a relatively high percentage of whole bunch ferment and a low percentage of new oak for ageing and this is adapted to each wine as it needs. This results in wines of striking purity with fabulous depth and intensity without sacrificing the details of the origins of each parcel of grapes. These are wines showing terroir and the soil signature of the fruit for each parcel above all else. These are wines that are built to age classically and gracefully.

‘David Duband told me that 2017 was a “relatively generous vintage where we enjoyed both good yields and good maturities, which is not always the case as it’s sometimes one or the other but not both. There fruit was also very clean, and all that it was necessary to do was to eliminate berries that weren’t ripe. As is typical for me I used quite a bit of whole clusters in the vinifications, which is to say around 60% for the entry level wines, 75% for the 1ers and about 90% for the grands crus. Regarding the wines, they’re lighter in style but I like the sense of energy, freshness and transparency. They’re not really built for long aging but they may very well surprise people as to how well they can age simply because they’re so well-balanced.” Burghound January 2019

Viticulture

On trend, David has shifted all of his vineyards to organic viticulture with the usual justification for the approach.

Winemaking

After the vineyard, how the fruit is processed when it arrives at the winery, and, handled during fermentation is the key to achieving the desired expression of site, and, style. Modern technology, like the destemming and sorting machine explored in this Wine Bites Magazine article, has made it possible for winemakers to choose a full spectrum of fruit processing options. From thrashing the grapes off the stems, to gentle removal of whole berries, and, the lowest tech option of all, using whole bunches. The video below explores David’s shift to majority whole bunch ferments for his Pinots. Inspired by the wines of Dujac, DRC and other whole bunch afficiandos, the rational being, that the technique offer wines of sophistication, restraint, with the kind of personality in the wines that can make your heart race!

The three images below show different elements of Pinot fermentation. The first shows skins being emptied from a concrete fermenter. You can see there are no stalks in the mix, so no whole bunches. This fermenter is actually a sarcophagus. The horizontal rips on the side used to help separate coffins. The opening at the top having a support for a lid to sit flush. The second image shows a ferment with a high percentage of whole bunches. You can see the bunch stalks spread through out the skins. The stick in the ferment would have a small cricular head on it used to plunge the skins into the fermenting wine below. The third picture shows a whole bunch that looks to be from a fermentation that is complete. Notice the whole berries still attached to the bunch stalk. When you eat this the pop in your mouth and fizz as you suck out the wine!

The 2020 Vintage at David Duband

”David Duband, who exploits, among other vines, the former Jacky Truchot parcels, succinctly told me that 2020 was “hot, dry and early where everything seemed accelerated. We picked over 7 days beginning on the 25th of August and there wasn’t much sorting required beyond some sunburned berries which are important to eliminate. Yields were actually pretty good at between 35 and 40 hl/ha with pretty much ideal potential alcohol levels for the style of wine I want to make at between 12.7 and 13.3%. I used between 60 and 90% whole clusters while vinifying fairly softly as the skins were quite thick. As to the wines, they’re fresher and more linear than either 2018 or 2019. Note though that I’m not arguing that they’re necessarily better but it’s clear that the 2020s, stylistically speaking, are quite different.”

Allen Meadows, Burghound – January 2022

Where in the World is Nuit-Saint-Georges?

David Duband is based in Chevanne, 15mins to the west of Nuits-Saint-Georges. He works with significant holding in the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits, and, with his business partner, François Feuillet, has progressively spread his wings with the acquisition of Jacky Tuchots vineyards including old vine parcels of Clos de la Roche and Charmes in Gevrey-Chambertin amongst others. Today, he has holdings across the Côtes de Nuits with additional parcels in Morey-Saint-Denis, Chambolle-Musigny, and, Vosne-Romanee.