Tasted with Guillaume Tardy in Vosne-Romanée, 21 November 2017.
Domaine Jean Tardy et Fils
46 Départementale 974,
21700 Vosne-Romanée
Tel: +33 3 80 61 11 86
domainejeantardy.canalblog.com
Guillaume on 2017:
“In 2017 there was lots of worry about frost again, but in the end the vintage was quite generous. I had to do a green harvest in a few areas, but we still had good ripeness and juice! It’s too early to say a lot, but I like the acidities. 2017 is much more than satisfying!”
Guillaume on 2016:
“You know, I’d say 2016 is much like 2010 or 2012 – 2010 with a bit more core! I was frosted about 50% – except in Echézeaux and Chambolle-Musigny – where it was more like 80%! The second buds gave us a little something though. Perfection would have been to do two harvests a few days apart, but you can’t teach the pickers to pick only half the grapes, as optically they all looked the same. I find an acidulated red fruit which is very nice, but I’m still minus 60% or-so in volume…”
The wines…
Another source of great 2016s – Guillaume has such a ‘villages sweet spot’ – these wines would be me choice before many, many 1er crus – well done!
2016 Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits Cuvée Maelie
Named for Guillaume’s daughter. Vines from Conceour, just above Vosne-Romanée; 40 year-old vines, no new oak, rather with one and two-year old barrels – we still get a decent maturity here in cooler years, harvested 5-6 days after the crus..
A fine pinot freshness here – dark red fruit. Modest concentration but growing, growing. A little tannin at the base but here is a very tasty and quite juicy, fruit, Yum!
2016 Fixin La Place
The lieu-dit, near Fissey. 40-45 year-old vines, near the route de grand cru.
Deep red fruit, more floral with air. More dimension of pretty fresh flavour, mouth-watering over a base of modest tannin. Delicious and with good concentration too. Long, slightly floral in the finish. Lovely wine again.
50 year-old vines. Lost about one-third, compared to many this was a good result. Bottling around February is the current plan.
Ooh, deep but exciting, bright, deep flavoured but with a frame, a melting fresh highlight, of dark, delicious, mouth-watering fruit. Richness but balance here – it needs a bit more elevage, but this could be a wow wine in the context of a villages label.
2016 Vosne-Romanée Vigneux
A deep nose, a little tighter but still with a good typicité. Lots of volume in the mouth, directly this has a much finer structure – ‘the last were sulfured hence the extra focus on tannin‘ – floral and long. Super wine if showing a little tight today…
80 year-old vines – the oldest of the domaine – on the border of Vosne and Nuits. Small grapes, low yields but naturally concentrated.
Plenty of colour in all these wines. This smells even more Vosne than the Vosne, more floral too – so beautifully inviting. Some gas. Concentrated but fresh, beautiful texture to the modest tannin – but there’s no lack of structure. Delicious floral/fruit in the finish. A great finish… super for the villages ‘level.’
60-year-old vines whose roots go directly into the base rock.’
A big volume of aroma but some reduction too. Wide, silky, less deep but growing with fine mouth-watering complexity. There is structure but all is fine, nothing pushy. The finishing flavour is of a concentrated, more floral fruit – simply great!
2016 Nuits S.Georges 1er Aux Argillas
‘From the north of Nuits, not the southern Argillières!’
Not full power, probably a little tight, but this is very delicate and floral. Some gas. But like the nose, despite plenty of volume and a little structure, this is a wine that’s really very elegant. Then a burst of great finishing fruit – transparent, pure and delicious here, complex too!
2016 Echézeaux Les Treux
Modest intensity but with a lovely florality. Super floral in the finish too. More spice. Lots of volume, a little structure but never out of balance. It’s the finish that’s wide, a little mineral and a lot delicious that really bursts with something extra. Lovely, lovely wine.