2012 Marchand-Tawse, Morey-Saint-Denis, Rue de Vergy, Red Burgundy, France.
The new Pascal Marchand 2012’s are a lovely set of wines, youthful, expressive and very elegant with pure and vivid flavors, they highlight the vintage and do everything you expect in a well crafted Burgundy. The 2012 Morey-Saint-Denis Rue de Vergy especially delivers on it’s promise and has even more potential in the next few years to blossom further, as a little time in bottle should bare out, but it still entertains even now. The Marchand-Tawse 2012 reds all were 100% de-stemmed and rigorously hand sorted, only the best grapes in this already tiny crop were used, all the vines are farmed by growers, or directed by Marchand-Tawse, with biodynamic principles and this vibrancy and inner life shines through in the wines, they use up to 30% new oak in selected wines, though the wines all seem perfectly integrated and well judged. In particular the Morey-Saint-Denis Rue de Vergy feels luxurious and clear, Marchand’s wines are fruit driven, beautiful and delicately detailed and this one certainly shows his style with vivid black cherry, raspberry, spiced plum, mineral tones, hints of chalk, saline, tea spice, cedar and a hint of smoky/sweet toast from the wood along with nice core of refined tannin and acidity that lift and frame this Burgundy adding poise and vigor without aggressiveness. In fact with air this wine gains body, texture and length with hints of blueberry, earth, anise and lavender oil all lingering on in the glass of this rose and violet scented, darkly hued ruby red Pinot Noir. The mouth feel is rich, satiny and seamless, but again a year or two in bottle will be a huge benefit to this very fine and flowing young wine, there is more to come here and I would like to see it with the oak a touch more folded into the background, which I’m sure will happen, drink this impressive gem from 2017 to 2024, and of the other 2012 Marchand wines to look for you should jump at the Nuits-Saint-Georges Vaucrains, Pommard and Corton all which were much better, but way too young, these are a stunning set of wines from Pascal Marchand and his team and are great values for the quality.
($67 Est.) 93 Points, grapelive
