Nuits Domaine 2019

Nuits Domaine 2019 is a red wine from Esplanda, listed under Massachusetts in the United States and filed in the French red category. The listing doesn't name the grape, so what follows describes what a red wine in this French-influenced style usually offers. It isn't a measured profile of this bottle. The name echoes Burgundy's Nuits district, where red wines are built on Pinot Noir. If that is the model here, expect red cherry and cranberry fruit, light to medium body, fine-grained tannins, and bright acidity. Earthy or forest-floor notes and a restrained touch of oak are also typical of the style. The 2019 vintage puts this bottle a few years past harvest. Reds in this lighter, higher-acid mould are generally enjoyed within several years of release, and the ones built for longer cellaring tend to be more structured than a light-bodied style suggests. Treat it as a bottle to open soon rather than one to lay down for a decade. If you do open it and find it tight, a short rest in the glass or a brief decant of 20 to 30 minutes will let it open up. Longer decanting is rarely needed with this kind of wine. Serve it cool, around 14 to 16°C (57 to 61°F). That is roughly 20 minutes in the refrigerator before opening if the bottle has been at room temperature. At that temperature the acidity stays lively and the fruit doesn't turn flat or alcoholic. A Burgundy-style or large-bowled red wine glass suits it best. The wide bowl concentrates the delicate aromatics and gives the wine room to breathe. At the table, a wine with this profile works with roast chicken, duck breast, mushroom dishes, salmon, and charcuterie. Soft-rind cheeses such as brie or Époisses complement it as well. Avoid heavily spiced or very rich red-meat dishes, which can overpower a lighter red.