Tasted with Mark Fincham and sometimes Pascal Marchand (below) in Nuits St.Georges, 08 December 2020.
Marchand-Tawse
9 Rue Julie Godemet
21700 Nuits-Saint-Georges
Tel: +33 3 80 20 37 32
www.marchand-tawse.com
More reports for Maison Marchand-Tawse & Domaine Tawse
Mark on 2019:
“We love the vintage!, Another year, each since 2015 with a world of surprises – but fortunately good surprises mainly. The gap between bud-break and flowering was the longest I’ve ever seen – it was because of the cold spring that we had to wait to harvest. The nights were cool too so we didn’t start until September 13th which is amazing given the heat of the summer. We really had to harvest quickly though – alcohols were quite well under control, just a few things were higher. All our ferments went through much more easily and the management of the wines was also easier than in 2018 as there was no excess of volume. The domaine wines from Gevrey are all AB (organic) in 2019 but the yields down on 2018 – maybe 10-15% – and the volumes are similar in 2020.
“I think that we have really consistent quality, but also with lower yields.”
The wines…
A really excellent range of reds, often touching on greatness, The selection of whites is more compact but great wines can be found here too.
A marathon 43 wines, so we arranged a pause between the reds and whites. Probably not bottling most of these before the spring:
2019 Marchand-Tawse, Bourgogne Côte d’Or
A mix of CdN and CdB fruit
A big bright nose – open-armed and inviting. Good concentration and energy here – delicious. And long too – that’s an excellent Bourgogne.
From vines in Marsannay, Comblanchien and Vosne. ‘Given the name it was our Bourgogne Côte d’Or before that name came into being
Hmm – nice nose – freshness, spice and a certain silkiness. Extra structure but beautifully done. That’s mouth-watering and complex and totally delicious – bravo! I think the best version of this ever!
2019 Marchand-Tawse, Côte de Nuits Villages
This needs some vigorous aeration but benefits greatly from that. A little rounder, just as deep – it’s the extra cushioning that’s visible but not necessarily as good a clarity of flavour as the last.
2019 Domaine Tawse, Beaune 1er Tuvillains
Bought in 2011, now 8 years of biodynamics and changes to the pruning ‘seem to have really helped here.’
A width of aroma – slightly reductive. Plenty of mouth-filling volume – a good complexity. Slightly structural and herbed in the finish but good flavour too.
2019 Domaine Tawse, Beaune 1er Clos du Roi
2014 was the first vintage. All these domaine wines with nearly 40% wc
A more airy and open nose – slightly cushioned, interesting fruit. Supple, sweeter fruit of more depth. Usually a better CdR than the average and that’s really the case in 2019 too. Excellent wine.
2019 Domaine Tawse, Beaune 1er Les Teurons
Wide and open – here’s a width of aroma and some whole cluster impression too – it’s a nice invitation. Lots of energy and flavour dimension – really an intensity of finishing flavour too.
2019 Domaine Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Les Lavières
A later ripening area. 40% wc and about 30% new wood for 1ers.
The nose is very wide but still a little tighter than the last wines. Mouth-filling, melting, good structure. I like this a lot – it’s for keeping a little while but it’s quite an approachable wine when all’s said and done. Super.
2019 Domaine Volnay 1er Fremiets
A big deep, slightly reduced nose. Really mouth-filling – lots of flavour dimension. A more Pommard style to the structure but great finishing – a super wine but also wine for keeping a while.
2019 Domaine Gevrey-Chambertin
Maume vines that were bought in 2011; biodynamic since then. No vines on the Brochon side. 8 different vineyards assembled – 1-4 barrels for each – max 15% wc.
That’s got a very attractive higher-toned nose. Cool, wide, mouth-watering – good texture too. Insistent flavour and beautifully mouthwatering too. That’s really excellent Gevrey.
2019 Domaine Gevrey-Chambertin Etelois
A fresh nose, more floral – that’s really super. This all destemmed and it has a very fine texture that becomes a little more velvet as the tannin shows itself more. Beautiful finishing – a wine of three parts – the elegant start and finish the more structural core – a super wine though and delicious too.
2019 Domaine Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Champaux
Usually last picked – 20% whole-cluster.
A slightly smoky nose, some stems perhaps some oak. Fresh and direct – a lovely kick of flavour here. Wide and intense finishing too – the last flavours are gorgeous…
2019 Domaine Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Lavaux St.Jacques
All destemmed.
Ooh, that’s a beautiful nose – depth and width – gorgeous – I can’t wait to taste. Fresh and open, faintly oaked, full of flavour – open and very long. That’s such a lovely, lovely wine…
2019 Domaine Mazoyères-Chambertin
Two small parcels of old vines, near the bottom of the vineyard but they are old vines – ‘The ‘Maume’ vines produce very consistent wines from Gevrey. All destemmed.
More width and freshness of aroma – practically a rare touch of lavender. Incisive, direct, super texture – a step up in structure and texture and concentration, today it doesn’t taste better than the Lavaux but it certainly has more stuffing…
‘The Petits-Mazis of tiny bunches, 86-year-old vines, it makes no sense to try to destem them. The father of Bertrand made the wines in 1980s-90s, Bertrand started from about 2001 – his wines were great in great years. Their vines are really great – more than one great vigneron of Gevrey will tell you so. If possible would make massale selections from the vines of Maume – the wines of those vines have such magical energy – clones are all the same but these vines have personality.’
Extra freshness and an open aromatic style – much more perfumed than the other wines. Rounder, no hard edges just a couple of mm of cushioning. Really wide and long – I don’t think I’m seeing everything but from what I can see, this will be a great wine!
These Marchand-Tawse wines are mainly destemmed:
2019 Nuits St.Georges
2/3 Premeaux, one-third from the north of Nuits.
A big and bustling nose – impressive. A bit of gas but we’ve a mouthful of wine here. Not too structured indeed a little round. Super finishing with a fine peak of flavour.
‘Our old VR could be tending towards the rustic, a lot came from the Nuits side of the village. Today, 4 parcels, hautes and bas Maizières, Champs Perdrix plus one more – currently still in barrel.’
That starts seemingly with wood spice but no, it’s vVosne spice – lovely. Wide, beautifully open, clarity of place – gorgeous. A great, classic Vosne.
2019 Chambolle-Musigny
Lots of plots included here.
Here staring with a definite barrel spice. More supple in the mouth, beautiful extra depth and elegance to the flavour – more concentrated, less mouth-watering than the Vosne – which I prefer – but this is still a fine Chambolle.
2019 Gevrey-Chambertin
From the bottom blocks – climats.
Nicely higher-toned here. More visible structure in terms of the tannin and width in this shape. The flavour ingrains in the palate and is super flavour! This clearly a wine to wait a little longer for. Very good…
2019 Nuits St.Georges Les Longecours
Sitting under Les St.Georges, 50% whole bunch
That’s a lovely nose, despite higher alcohol for here. Very perfumed. A nice driving flavour, complex finishing, keep it a while it’s a super wine.
2019 Vosne-Romanée 1er Les Suchots
Different contract and all destemmed. The previous supplier kept all the stems – sometimes it was ‘too big’
Wide, cushioned, with some creamy oak. Great shape and super concentration too. Slowly leaching flavour over the palate, a big, concentrated wine that will bring ample reward to the patient – excellent wine.
Ooh, what a great nose – this could be special. More driving and sweeping on style, mineral even. This finishes beautifully but will need time – possibly great wine.
2019 Morey St.Denis 1er Clos des Ormes
Broader with a freshness of ripe fruit and a beautiful clarity in the middle. Supple, concentrated, nice tannin – that’s delicious. The best I’ve tasted here I think…
2019 Morey St.Denis 1er Les Millandes
Old vines below csd with 70 years
Thats a nose that becomes finer and finer with swirling – thats really lovely. The palate has sweetness and layers of fresh fruit – wide, a little structure. Great finishing. Not the most delicious in the middle just yet but there’s a lot to look forward to here.
2019 Pommard 1er Rugiens
From ‘bas’ a new barrel but theres only 1
Lots of high-toned action, mainly oak but surprisingly attractive all the same. Fuller, more delicious, less obviously structural than the Millandes but serious and tasty wine.
From Corton et Rognets, not on the label
Broad and fresh and multidimensional – that’s realy appealing. Great freshness, width, clarity too – simply great wine. Bravo, one of the best I’ve tasted again.
Treux and Rouges du Bas 70-75 yo vines
My first impression is oak-spice but then it’s consumed by the Vosne-spice. A great nose of fabulous fruit clarity. Wide, full of energy, great texture depth of delicious but still structured flavour. A beautiful wine – excellent as a minimum.
2019 Clos St.Denis
Oak-spice again, lots of depth to this nose and a little minerality too. Large-scaled, concentrated but freshly structured too. I generally think of csd as the most sensuous of the Morey gcs but here’s a more structural wine – but a super one.
2019 Clos de la Roche
Almost 70 yo vines.
No overt oak but there’s still some swirling required to relaese the fine and floral top-notes of the perfume. Depth of flavour, mouth-watering over the palate, layered and mineral. Great stuff here. Be patient with it!
2019 Clos de Vougeot
A modest accent of oak on this wine. Large-scaled and super-fresh. Such fine texture – a little smoky barrel in the middle. This is super but for keeping a little while…
2019 Morey St.Denis 1er Genavrières
A silky width of dark-fruited wine. Mouth-filling, slightly rustic structure after the gcs but the flavour complexity and concentration have nothing to worry about. Big and tasty finishing – a perfect combination for a burgundy geek, great flavour and a rarissimo!
70-80-year-old vines
A nose of punchy, forward, rather inviting aroma, becoming more and more floral. Large-scaled, obvious Charmes, better said – cliché Charmes. But a great Charmes!
As usual, a made-to-measure barrel so 100% new oak. ‘These grapes are always hand destemmed, so it ferments really slowly as there is so little juice to start with.’ Each berry is cut from the stem so it’s like there’s less than 1% whole bunch. The most ‘infused’ wine of the domaine.
A really great nose, behind the otherworldly 2018 but great all the same. Beautiful across the palate too – wide, a wine of precision, and prettiness not the power of last year, but a very beautiful wine – fine Musigny, great wine…
Les Blancs:
First three bottled, all the rest are in tank:
2019 Bourgogne Chardonnay
Sources change quite a lot and to buy in grapes is also not the easiest, here some Yonne, Viré-Clessé, and the bottom of Meursault and Puligny.
A good attack of fresh aroma – that’s a nice nose! Volume, a decent minerality too – fresh – forward very attractive, slightly structured – that’s a lovey wine – excellent Bourgogne. Fine citric flavour.
2019 Bourgogne Aligoté
Vinified with no sulfur, vines in the commune of Puligny, late picked – no sulfur at bottling either.
Being fined so far from bright, the nose a little hidden but the palate with zip and interest. A lovely zesty finish – I think this will be excellent.
2019 Viré-Clessé
From Quintaine on the hillside.
A big burst of aroma – really attractive, muscled, citrus – yes. Mouth-filling and mouth-watering, great structure – lovely wine. Excellent again.
2019 Puligny-Montrachet
From Noyers Bret
Airy and fresh, deep a little mineral too. Great scale in the mouth – some intensity and a touch more sucrosity but it’s the energy here that’s so good. A lovely finish – very good.
2019 Meursault
Mainly from En la Barre
Forward again – lots of ripeness of fruit but wide and not heavy. Mouth-filling once more, lovely, lovely line and a fading finish – that’s really excellent.
2019 Domaine Savigny 1er Les Vergelesses
2014 the first vintage
Forward and with intensity and freshness. Mouth-filling, a small softening of the edges, but direct, energetic agrumes – maybe a little pineapple too. Fresh and wide – delicious finishing…
2019 Ladoix 1er Les Gréchons
AB – that’s a lovely nose – direct, full but fresh and at the same time a little exotically ripe too. More mouth-filling again, very perfumed fruit. Long, very tasty wine
A full nose again, this time with some oak backing. Large-scaled in the mouth – as with many here – but never dense or overpowering. That’s a top wine.
A depth of tighter fruit but there’s plenty of freshness above. Zesty, freshness, a wine of energy, and always changing. That could be a great Puligny – the finish already is.
2019 Meursault 1er Genevrières
Here’s a more typical Genevrières width of aroma, of finely spiced fruit. In the mouth too the style is similar to the nose. Lovely fading flavour here too.
The only wine from barrel. Le and En Charlemagne
That’s a nice freshness – not the most forward nose but one of very fine purity – lovely. Intense, concentrated without weight. Mineral. A great wine – be a bit patient but all is in place for this wine – a super finish, grandiose finishing. Bravo!