Tasted with Mark Fincham in Nuits St.Georges, 04 December 2019.
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 2018:
“The key thing about 2018 was the picking dates. We had a big crop, but a healthy crop in a warm year. It didn’t rain in the whole of August, and then came a big storm that hit Nuits and Vosne on Thursday 6th September – but it stopped at Vougeot. I still think that we were just one rain away from greatness in 2018. We started our harvest on the 8th. Some of the vineyards that got rain in the Côte de Beaune meant that we could wait a little time to pick. I think that we have balance and not too high alcohols, less than many. The malic-acid was practically gone before we even harvested so we needed to acidify – the days of ordering sugar seem to be over, now it’s tartaric! ”
The wines…
Many excellent whites. The reds a little more modest to completely brilliant in 2018!
Probably not bottling most of these before the spring:
2018 Domaine Bourgogne Vigne Blanche
In the white soils below Gevrey.
Hmm, that’s got a nicely vibrant and wide freshness. Round, pleasingly structural, good texture. That’s a really fine Bourgogne!
2018 Domaine Gevrey-Chambertin
Maume vines that were bought in 2011; biodynamic since then. No vines on the Brochon side.
More depth and freshness to this fruit. Muscular, fresh, lovely line of insinuating flavour. Really super length.
Bought fruit from Bertrand Maume, no-longer biodynamic – did everything between 2012-16, 0.67 ha, all biodynamic in that time, now no-longer. Now need a négoce label.
That’s got a super wave of fresh aroma. Likewise in the mouth, it’s simply a delicious wave of flavour in the mouth – properly structured, properly fresh – great Gevrey!
2018 Domaine Gevrey-Chambertin Etelois
That’s a deeper, darker nose, a little more alcoholic perhaps. In the mouth too – this is fresh, quite open, a little tannic texture, but the fruit is almost to the dark-side – though not quite black olive. Hopefully, it will lighten up with more elevage.
2018 Domaine Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Champaux
Usually last picked, in 2018 it was the first picked, possibly just before full phenolic maturity – just 13.1° and used about 15% wc
Deep but wide and fresh – red, complex fruit – this is an invitation. Fresh, great line and energy. Complex, structural – I think this really excellent wine.
2018 Domaine Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Lavaux St.Jacques
There’s a twist of something reductive but there’s also a wealth of floral perfume too. Super in the mouth – open cool fruit, plenty of sweetness in the middle – almost too much. But that’s showing oh-so-well! And finishing really great! Excellent wine again.
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
A more profound and pure nose – that really great! Open, mouth-filling, super clarity. A Mazoyères winner – so juicy finishing and long.
This and the last 13.5° – ‘The Petits-Mazis of tiny bunches, 85-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.’
A more compact but fresh nose – the last drops in the glass are super though – fine and open. Ooh – this has great shape in the mouth – complex, not too sweet, a wine of super flavour complexity, less elegant clarity but then this always has a wilder side…
All these CdB wines have seen whole-clusters at 30%, plus 20% new oak:
2018 Domaine Beaune 1er Tuvillains
This is the first that’s been racked. Bought in 2011, now 7 years of biodynamics and changes to the pruning ‘seem to have really helped here.’
Hmm, that’s different – round but deep red fruit. Full, engaging, a little warmth to the fruit. Depth of finishing flavour – broad finishing too.
2018 Domaine Beaune 1er Les Teurons
A nose that has width but seems a little more diffuse today – or to start! Lots of volume in the mouth, plenty of energy and complexity – I’ve a slight preference for this over the Tuvillains
2018 Domaine Beaune 1er Clos du Roi
2014 was the first vintage
Depth of aroma, suggesting toasty, rather compact width. Extra freshness, extra nice texture though there’s a slowly rising tannin that dries a little – but that will be largely gone in a year. Really a good finish of dimension and attractive flavour – ultra-fine-grained tannin.
2018 Domaine Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Les Lavières
Picked a little later after the rain, but it’s anyway a later ripening area
That’s a nice nose – deep, darker fruit. Some roundness on the palate but lots of freshness to the dark fruit. Narrow but long finishing – still the dark fruit here, mouth-watering… This is very good in 2018.
2018 Domaine Volnay 1er Fremiets
A tighter nose – it seems airy but not much to find – aeration bringing a fine clarity to the nose and a little florality. Wide and concentrated this has a super shape. Excellent!
Maison Marchand-Tawse wines:
A mixture of villages 1er and better Bourgogne vineyards available to the team. This bottled only last week – the only one bottled.
A smaller nose but a good one! Hmm, this wine has volume and fine flavour dimension too – showing some of the higher value wines in the blend. Bravo Bourgogne!
2018 Marsannay
There’s a nice nose! One of freshness and high-toned interest. Easy over the palate but still with volume and great flavour – I actually see a little more definition in the previous wine. But this has some class in the finish.
2018 Nuits St.Georges
2/3 Premeaux, one-third from the north of Nuits.
A little reductive but this is very nice and open. This also has a proper shape, a little structure as it should have, but it’s open, fresh fruited and really good wine.
2018 Vosne-Romanée
‘Our old VR could be tending towards the rustic, a lot from the Nuits side of the village. 4 parcels, hautes and bas Maizières, Champs Perdrix plus one more – currently still in barrel.’
Ooh – now that’s really good. Quite a structural wine, but one with a lot of freshness and obvious flavour complexity. Textbook and delicious – excellent wine.
2018 Chambolle-Musigny
Lots of plots included here.
This has a big shape, some smoothness of aroma but as noted, quite big shaped. Drive and freshness though – this actually resembles Chambolle which is no mean feat in 2018, the finish is completely delicious.
2018 Morey St.Denis Rue de Vergy
The nose is not quite ready – but there’s lots of aromatic impact. Direct, great freshness – plenty of energy and deliciously melting flavour over the palate, very faintly dry in the finish potentially excellent or even better.
2018 Gevrey-Chambertin
From the bottom blocks – climats.
A smaller nose, but one with fine and elegant floral fruit. Good shape and structure – the flavour quite open in the middle. Really a super and quite complex finish – less gourmand but more of everything in the finish vs the Morey…
2018 Nuits St.Georges 1er Les Corvées Pagets
An organic vineyard for over 25 years. Next to the Clos St.Marc
A vibration of oaky reduction that goes to the core of this nose. Great shape, energy and again vibration in the flavours – plenty of oak showing here. You should wait…
2018 Vosne-Romanée 1er Les Suchots
Very old vines, top of the vineyard, late picked all whole cluster
A big nose, a reductive nose, but there’s also a fine clarity of fruit behind. Big in the mouth – completely mouth-filling, lacking some interest until the finish where the long diminuendo is delicious.
2018 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Les Fuées
A little bulkiness to this nose (today) but still, what an attractive nose! Actually this is remarkably mineral and fresh, cool-fruited Fuées for the vintage – from a flavour perspective this only gets going from the middle but the finish is great!
2018 Morey St.Denis 1er Clos des Ormes
This has a super-characteristic nose – every year – the same in 2018 – it’s lovely in its almondness! Nice drive And freshness., here is structure but also a complexity of fruit – deliciously long. Well done – excellent!
2018 Morey St.Denis 1er Les Millandes
Old vines below csd with 70 years
A nose that’s more compact but deep – without reduction. Even more width and more mouth-watering freshness. A touch more finishing tannin – a more mineral width of flavour – if you want a mouthful of flavour take the Ormes, if you are looking for something a little more structural and mineral, take this – it’s excellent.
Now that’s a fabulous nose – deep, multi-dimensional and sooo good! Lots of open structure, of clarity of flavour, of precision – complete Morey – Bravo!
2018 Gevery-Chambertin 1er Champeaux (Maison version!)
Practically saturated colour. Rather an uncommunicative nose – there’s depth, but otherwise it’s a little tight. Actually this is quite nice in the mouth – open, great shape, finishing with some tannin.
2018 Pommard 1er Rugiens
Rugiens from the middle – two plots a mix of 20-25 yo and the older is 60 – but the better selection is the younger parcel. Third vintage.
A big nose, encompassing, but a good one! This is big wine, lots of volume, practically a little uncouth compared to what went before but with tons of saving complexity.
Ooh that’s a really fruity nose – impressive volume but a purity of fruit too. Driving, racehorse style – sleek, long. Brilliant – bravo!
Treux and Rouges du Bas 70-75 yo vines
There’s some reduction here but this is deep and concentrated but also energetic and impressive. Less sweet but wider and more overtly complex. A great finish – to wait for with anticipation…
2018 Clos St.Denis
Most gcs are destemmed but this has 20% wc
A nice volume of aroma – a suggestion of reduction. This has lots of mouth-filling volume and a nice clarity – structure too. A little drying tannin at the end, before a joyous finish. Such much to wait for. At least excellent…
Almost 70 yo vines.
Another big nose but a reductive one. More sleek and mineral – a more dynamic wine. This is a great finishing wine. Love!
2018 Charmes-Chambertin
80-year-old vines.
Wide, some aromatic weight. Sleek, wide, complex – mineral and energetic – another great cool-fruited 2018 from this vineyard.
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.’
Hmm, no stems but a little wc impression – this has a super-complex nose – it’s clearly great. Super! This could be a wine from the cellar of DRC this year – the difference here is the emphasis on the minerality. Bravo – great wine!
Les Blancs:
First three bottled, all the rest are in tank:
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 nose of great volume, and good freshness. Full, chiselled, line, melting flavour, great structure, long, deliciously long – Bravo!
2018 Bourgogne Aligoté
Vinified with no sulfur, vines in the commune of Puligny, late picked – no sulfur at bottling either.
A nice big nose, faintly but attractively yeasty. A nice punch of flavour, fresh, a little mineral. Pretty finishing – nice mineral, tasty detail.
2018 Viré-Clessé
From Quintaine on the hillside.
More depth, faintly, attractively herbed. More width and depth to the flavour. Fine freshness. Lovely finishing – that’s a great VC more drive and excitement than the 2017!
This not bottled but the next is.
A more composed nose, some concentration here. Nice drive – a good vibration to the flavour here too. In the finish too! A peacock’s tail of flavour growth – Bravo!
2018 Puligny-Montrachet
From Noyers Brets
Some fresh intensity on the nose here. More tension for sure, drive, rippling with flavour – punchy and tasty. Sneakily long too.
2018 Meursault
Hmm, more composed, more depth to the aroma. This sits very well in the mouth, wide, composed, slightly cooler fruit but super, slightly spiced intensity. This is excellent.
2018 Ladoix 1er Les Gréchons
Hmm, that’s a wide, attractive, high-toned nose – a great invitation. Mineral, sweeping lines, cool fruit again – a little green lime fruit. This is excellent – yum!
Hmm – that’s a very fine, medium intensity but maximum gorgeousness nose! Full, layered, gorgeous. Bravo!
2018 Domaine Savigny 1er Les Vergelesses
14 the first vintage
A punchy nose of herby fruit – it’s a good invitation. Nice mineral line, sweeping shape – very fine structured – it doesn’t have the gorgeousness of the last wine, obviously, but for clarity and interest, this is great.
2018 Domaine Puligny-Montrachet 1er Champs Gains
Nice fresh, actually spicy width. Great shape, very mineral, some citrus too that makes this all the more approachable. Hmm – a great finish – practically lime fruit. Excellent!
2018 Domaine Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Abbaye de Morgeot
A deeper more concentrated and riper citrus. Hmm – this takes time to unpack over the tongue. Fine clarity of ripe but fresh citrus fruit, almost a little golden in style. Great length. Such an excellent wine!
2018 Domaine Corton-Charlemagne
Slightly different to previous years; before was always from Charlemagne, this year there’s 20% from the Pernand side.
A bigger nose of more depth, faintly, freshly, spiced – almost a white pepper. Big, but not oppressive, layered, full but ever-changing. Really complex and actually rather accommodating. Delicious with a weight that marks its origin. Excellent!
