Côte de Nuits 2021: New Releases

Most of the fruit comes from the Côte de Nuits, with the majority from around Nuits itself, with the balance from the Côte de Beaune. The fruit is the star of the show here - strawberries, raspberries, red plum. It is a fresh and crunchy style of bourgogne, with enough bite to give it a vibrant length. It should drink well from a young age. And it’s an absolute bargain.

This is a balanced and refined Savigny, with a long, plummy, spicy finish. It has 20% whole bunch, helping draw out the tannins in a more gentle expression, which works well here. Perfumed with plum, red cherry and rose petal, with a delicious freshness. Fantastic.

Tuvilains is a lovely vineyard on the Pommard side of the town. Scented with rhubarb and raspberries, with a lot of structure on the palate. There is 20% whole bunch here, and some support from new oak. In 2021, it is spicy, red fruited and light bodied, with a refreshing crunchiness to the tannins.

This parcel actually used to be classified as a village parcel, and winemaker Mark seems particularly fond of it. It is really elegant and refined in 2021, with a hint of Gevrey’s density and spice. There’s a delicious hint of blood orange on the palate giving this a lift, there’s fine grained tannins and a long and pure, fruity finish. It’s one of the best Bourgogne Rouges you’ll find.

This Mazis is sumptuously perfumed with exotic red and black fruit. The palate is effortlessly refined, and has class and finesse in spades. Superbly structured with so much depth and complexity. It is drawn from three parcels, one of which is over 75 years old. The fruit from these very old vines goes in as whole bunch (accounting for around 10%), whilst the rest is destemmed. It is again the high point of the Tawse cellar in 2021, and may well be amongst the wines of the vintage.

This is a very special village lieu-dit. It is sandwiched between two grands crus: Charmes-Chambertin and Griotte-Chambertin. Most people who own vines here bottle it separately, as its character is of such high quality, it approaches premier cru complexity. This has Gevrey’s classical sour cherry density, and a sweet hint of dark cherry fruit on the palate. The fruit was entirely destemmed for this cuvée, and the body of the wine is juicy and fresh. Excellent.

This comes from seven parcels around the village, including La Justice, Forneaux, and Clos Prieur Bas. It is so precise and lengthy, with a lively, spicy, cherry red fruit that seems to go far beyond what a village usually delivers. It’s one of Mark’s favourites in the cellar, and we can see why. A small (25%), well-judged amount of whole bunch adds just a hint of lift. This is fantastic in 2021.

With only 2 barrels made in 2021, this is a floral, more opulent expression of Frémiets. It’s quite a warm site, and needs to be picked early to capture freshness, which fortunately, they have, and its excellent acidity serves it well, meaning this should have a long drinking window.

This is drawn from a couple of parcels on the south side of the commune towards Fixin and Gevrey-Chambertin. In 2021, it has a ripe fruit profile, with red plum and wild strawberry, and some spicy, supple tannins giving it an elegant and fine edge. It has body and impact and is deliciously long with a saline finish.

This comes from two plots: Les Treux and Rouges du Bas. The tiny volume (1 barrel) has a luxuriously toasty feel, with light spicy notes, and a sumptuous length on the palate. Elegant, intense and enticing.

Alluring and seductive dark cherry aromas on the nose. This is powerful and driven, packed full of red and dark fruit concentration, with the brawny swagger of the Clos de la Roche vineyard, and the suave handling of the Marchand-Tawse cellar combined. This is one for the long haul.

This cuvée is the main reason we started buying the wines from Marchand-Tawse. It is a winner every year. 30% whole bunch gives it a translucent purity, and the wine displays an elegant and delicious ripe plum core. Great energy and vivacity. The vineyard sits just below Clos St Denis, in the heart of the village, and offers up a deep and rich expression of the village. What a pity it is made in such tiny quantities.

This remote east-facing vineyard sits at an elevation of 400m. Mark explained that on a crisp summer morning you can see all the way to Mont Blanc from here. Its position means, although bathed in morning sun, it does not have much hot afternoon sun, and fruit ripens slowly. It was harvested last in 2021, with 30% whole bunch fruit used. The result is a delicate, refined plummy nose with an attractive floral note. This is classic Pinot and the floral, sweet spice and damson notes running through the palate make this deliciously approachable now. There is enough fruit concentration and length to ensure this will only improve with time.

The Mazoyères is made with 70% whole bunch and shows Mark’s confidence with the style working well. It is refined and aromatic with a juicy, sweet spice nose. The energy on the palate is dazzling and there is great balance between purity and depth of the red fruit on the palate, an uplifting freshness and the longest of spicy finishes. This is a very fine, jolly wine.