The 2023 David Duband Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier Cru Les Procès is a refined and highly distinctive 100% Pinot Noir from the southern side of Nuits-Saint-Georges in Burgundy's Côte de Nuits. Les Procès is a tiny Premier Cru of only around 1.5 hectares, with Duband's parcel sitting above the town alongside Premier Cru Les Pruliers. The vineyard has a south-east exposure and gravelly limestone soils, and Duband himself identifies Les Procès as one of the domaine's particularly mineral expressions of Nuits-Saint-Georges. Sources describe vines averaging more than 35 years old, with a parcel planted in 1965 also documented for this cuvée. David Duband has farmed organically since the mid-2000s, and Les Procès has particular historical significance within the domaine: it was one of the original appellations David vinified when he established Domaine David Duband in 1991.
The 2023 was vinified with approximately 80% whole bunches, followed by a relatively gentle fermentation with only five to seven punch-downs and pumping over. It then spent 14 months in French oak, around 40% new, followed by several additional months in tank before bottling without fining or filtration. Aromatically, expect raspberry, dark berry and red fruit alongside lilac and rose, pepper, exotic spice and subtle savoury notes. The palate combines the structure expected from southern Nuits-Saint-Georges with unusually fine texture, freshness and a distinctly sapid mineral finish. Jasper Morris MW awarded 91–93 Points, highlighting the lifted roses and raspberry aromas, elegance, good length and attractive expression of fruit, with a suggested drinking window of 2029–2035.
