"Punch enrobed by the 'velvet glove' of more gentle and silky tannins" according to Neal Rosenthal, its importer. This is serious, well-made and approachable Nuit St. Georges. On the border of Vosne-Romanee, “Les Damodes” lies at the northern limit of Nuits-Saint-Georges and this wine always shows the most Vosne-like silkiness and grace in the Chauvenet cellar. Produced from a quarter-hectare parcel of vines averaging 65 years of age, the 2014 is deep and relatively luscious, with an arresting nose of exotic spice, sandalwood, and ripe red fruits. A wisp of white pepper and a sliver of sassafras add complexity to the elegant, fine-grained but still structured palate, which culminates in a swelling, lingering finish. If it is not the most typically Nuits wine in the cellar, it perhaps offers the most potential for early-drinking pleasure among the premier crus. Harvest is manual. Vinification is classic with 100% destemming and a brief period of cold maceration followed by two to three weeks of cuvaison, the length of which is determined by the appellation and the inherent structure of each wine. A decanting follows and then the wine is moved into small barrels where the malolactic occurs. After an elevage of about 18 months, the wines are bottled without fining or filtration.