2010 Pascal Marchand-Tawse, Echezeaux, Grand Cru Red Burgundy, France.
The Canadian Pascal Marchand continues to rise in Burgundy, he is credited with bringing Comte Armand back into the limelight and now under his own label his wines are garnering much attention and accolades, this seems very much deserved after tasting the last three vintages. Mr Marchand and Mr Tawse have now completed their takeover of the Domaine Maume estate and it will be interesting to see what Maison Marchand-Tawse does with those historic plots and I can’t wait to taste the finished wines, the first will be from the 2012 vintage, but until then we can enjoy the 2009, 2010 and 2011 wines, which are stunning, especially so is this 2010 Echezeaux Grand Cru. sitting outside the tiny village of Flagey in the Cote de Nuits, the glorious vines of Echezeaux are one of the area’s main attractions, this is Pinot Noir country and this Grand Cru remains one of the great values in Red Burgundy, while not cheap, the wines of Echezeaux are most often half the price of the other Grand Crus and in fact many Premier Cru wines fetch more these days, so if you want a great Burgundy and still want a deal, look to Echezeaux, and Marchand’s 2010 is a great place to start, it is rich, intense and wonderfully detailed. The 2010 Echezeaux starts with rose petals, wild mushrooms, red currants and elegant wood notes leading to a lush and silky palate of dense fruit, this medium weight Burgundy delivers layers of textural pleasure with raspberry, black cherry and plum along with hints of vanilla, cured meat, dried violets, tea spice and shaved fennel. There is a stony mineral essence and lush mouth feel with a long aftertaste, plus a good core of acidity bringing flavors a perfect pitch, this is super Pinot Noir, still full of vigor and youth, drink from 2016-2022.
($125-150 Est.) 94 Points, grapelive