Nuits-Saint-Georges has no Grand Cru, and the reason is the man on this label: as mayor of Nuits and a member of the INAO's steering committee, Henri Gouges argued that none of his village's vineyards should be promoted, and the appellation has stayed that way ever since. Chenes Carteaux is one of the domaine's smallest and steepest premier crus, a single hectare at the southern end of the village just above Les Saint-Georges, facing east on light, sandy brown soil over limestone, climbing from 260 to 300 meters toward the treeline. That thin stony site gives a firmer, more mineral Pinot Noir than the richer crus on the slope below it. 2010 was a small, classically proportioned Burgundy vintage, all fresh acidity and fine tannin, and at sixteen years this bottle is opening into its savory second act with road still ahead. It comes from a private cellar rather than the domaine; stand it upright, decant off the sediment and give it air.