Henri Gouges

Domaine Henri Gouges is a highly regarded producer in the Burgundy commune of Nuits-Saint-Georges with holdings in a number of its premier cru vineyards. It makes mostly red wine from Pinot Noir, the dominant variety of the region. Though holding no land in grand cru vineyards, the premier crus of the domaine and the wider Nuits-Saint-Georges appellation are considered to be some of the finest in the Cote de Nuits, the most renowned being Les Saint-Georges.

The domaine was founded in 1919 by Henri Gouges and continues to be owned and operated by the family, which dates its history back several generations earlier than their estate. Gouges was a prominent figure, who made several notable contributions to the region. He was among the first producers to eschew the Burgundy négociant system that was seen as corrupt. Instead, in the 1920s, Gouges championed estate bottling, an uncommon practice at the time. In the 1930s, during the earliest designation of Burgundy appellations, Gouges successfully campaigned against naming any Nuits-Saint-Georges vineyards as grand crus when he was both mayor of the village and an appointed member of the INAO.

The modern vineyard holdings of Domaine Henri Gouges cover 14.5 hectares (36 acres) including parcels in seven premier cru-designated sites. Almost all the wines made are varietally Pinot Noir, however a limited amount of white wines is also produced. A Pinot Blanc is made under the broad Bourgogne Blanc appellation, while the premier cru Clos des Porrets-Saint-Georges is one of the rare sites where both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are allowed to be grown. It is actually a small, enclave monopole within the larger Les Porrets-Saint-George Premier Cru vineyard. The other white is from the Les Perrières vineyard, where Gouges makes a white wine from mutated Pinot Noir. It's sometimes called Pinot Blanc, Pinot Musigny or simply Pinot Gouges as it was Henri Gouges who discovered the mutation and opted to take cuttings and vinify the white grapes entirely separately.