More Red Burgundy: 2016 Jean Tardy, 2017 A-F Gros AND Surprise Older Vintages of Santenay for Cheap, Cheap, Cheap!

Tardy, Gros and Older Jessiaume

For today's newsletter, we have an exciting lineup of both new and old. Let's start with the latter:

Domaine Jessiaume is a relatively unknown producer due to his holdings in the ever obscure and highly underrated villages of Santenay. But what the GP (general public) doesn't seem to know––or want to know––is that Santenay is probably the best QPR village out there in terms of it's ageability. In particualr, wines from the premier cru site of Graviers tend to be really exciting. Hence today's offer below. I had the luxurious pleasure of trying these over the summer and am just getting around to writing about them now even though the finish on these still lingers.   
 

1988 Domaine Jessiaume Santenay 1er Cru Gravieres (6 max per customer)
Newsletter Price: $89.99
10% Mixed Case Discount Still Applies
The year was 1998. Guns & Roses topped the charts as hair music faded and Burgundy was having a stellar vintage of wines that are known to be pure and powerful with great grace and life.  

Intense smoke on the nose with weird levels of game, forest floor, dark leaves, tobacco, pine, moss and dying red cherry.  Supple and spice driven on the palate with austere acidity and a powerful, haunting finish. Can easily stick around for another 2-3 years. 



1990 Domaine Jessiaume Santenay 1er Cru Gravieres (6 Max per customer)
Newsletter Price: $89.99
10% Mixed Case Discount Still Applies
1990 is considered one of the classic years in Burgundy much like Bordeaux. The premier crus and grand crus I have tried in recent memory have insane staying power.  The Jessiaume is no different. A remarkable difference in age from the 1998 where the sauvage notes are not fully formed and the fruit is rather more plump.  The same haunting exoticism is on full display but the development id delayed. I would say give this another few years to reach full maturity.  



Jean Tardy and A-F Gros both have some serious real estate although both are lesser known to the GP, even though Tardy is represented by the iconic Wassermann family. Below is the Tardy line-up of their serious 2016 reds and 2017 from Gros.  

 

• . 10% off on 6, 15% off on 12

Burghound on 2017 Gros: Mathias Parent, who is the son Anne-Françoise Gros and François Parent, now makes the wine for the three family labels of Anne-Françoise Gros, François Parent and his own eponymous operation of Mathias Parent (see below for reviews of those wines). Parent described 2017 as a vintage that produced "lighter but pure and punchy wines that are so refreshing that they're a joy to drink. We chose to begin picking on the 8th of September and brought in correct yields of ripe fruit that possess potential alcohols in the 12 to 12.8% range. I did work the vinifications a bit harder than usual so that the wines wouldn't be too light and I also reduced the amount of new wood somewhat. I think the 2017 reds will drink well young as they're rich and relatively easy-going." I found the quality of the Gros 2017s to be good to very good and particularly so at the villages level.

BH 87-90: An overtly spicy nose combines notes of both red and blue pinot fruit, dark currant and pretty floral hints. The delicious, caressing and seductively textured flavors possess better volume and on the more complex and lingering finish. The supporting tannins are relatively fine-grained and overall, this is a Vosne of finesse.

BH 88-91: A slightly more elegant and even spicier nose speaks of Asian-style tea, red currant and cherry along with notes of lilac and violet. The sleeker and more concentrated flavors possess excellent punch along with better depth on the youthfully austere finale where the innate class of Vosne is in evidence.

BH 88-91: Moderate wood still allows the spiced plum, raspberry and hoisin aromas to shine. The gorgeously textured medium-bodied flavors possess a supple and seductive mid-palate while delivering very good length on the sappy and more complex finish that also flashes a touch of youthful austerity.

BH 88-92: Moderate wood surrounds the spicy nose that is comprised by notes of Asian-style tea, plum and violet. The succulent and velvet-textured medium-bodied flavors possess mouth coating sap yet the finish the very firm finish is a bit drying and woody. Like the Arvelets, this may well harmonize in time but that's not a guarantee.

BH 91-93: Moderately firm reduction overshadows the fruit today. Otherwise there is excellent richness and vibrancy to the lightly mineral-inflected and very, very serious big-bodied flavors that deliver impressive length. Curiously though the depth is presently limited though Richebourg has an uncanny knack of developing outstanding complexity with time in bottle so it's entirely possible that my projected range may eventually prove to be overly conservative.

Burghound on 2016 Tardy: Guillaume Tardy described 2016 as having a "growing season that certainly kept us on our toes. The spring weather was balmy but wet and the conditions were perfect for a terrible attack of mildew which in fact happened. The warmer than normal temperatures also engendered an early bud break, which is fine in and of itself but not when a late April frost happens! Overall we lost about 30% due to the frost but in Echézeaux and in Chambolle it was worse, running as it did between 40 and 50%. On the other hand, our vines in the Hautes Côtes were essentially untouched. We chose to begin picking on the 26th of September and from a maturity perspective the frost-damaged vines were necessarily behind those that were unaffected. For example, the first crop had potential alcohols between 12.5 and 13.2% whereas the second generation fruit came in between 11.5 and 12.2%. The fruit was pretty much spotless and required very little sorting. It had relatively thick and hard skins so I was careful with the extractions during the vinifications though as it turned out, they finished without any problems. What I find interesting about the 2016s is how you can have excellent wines that are completely different from their 2015 counterparts but they too are excellent. It's the consumers that win because no matter which style one prefers, really good wines were made in both vintages." As does Tardy I also found very fine quality in both of his 2016s and 2015s.

2016 Jean Tardy Bourgogne - Hautes Côtes de Nuits Cuvée Maëlie
Newsletter Price: $49.99
BH 86-88: A ripe and agreeably fresh nose reflects notes of plum, dark currant and plenty of earth character. The racy, intense and solidly concentrated flavors brim with minerality that carries over to the rustic and delicious finish. This is sufficiently structured to need a few years of bottle age first.

2016 Jean Tardy Gevrey-Chambertin "Champerrier Vieilles Vignes"
Newsletter Price: $119.99
BH 88-91: A distinctly earthy and sauvage-inflected nose offers up notes wild dark berries, humus and underbrush. There is fine punch to the relatively powerful and muscular flavors that are shaped by moderately fine tannins on the solidly complex and sneaky long finish where a touch of wood surfaces.

2016 Jean Tardy Vosne Romanee Les Vigneux
Newsletter Price: $133.99
BH 90: A subtle application of wood frames brooding notes of plum, black cherry, violet and Asian-style tea. The rich, round and succulent medium-bodied flavors possess a velvety, even suave, mouthfeel thanks to the abundant dry extract that coats the palate while delivering good length on the firm and well-balanced finale. This firm effort is excellent for its level and well-worth considering.

2016 Jean Tardy Nuits St. Georges "Aux Argillas"
Newsletter Price: $174.99
BH 91: A markedly restrained nose grudgingly displays its earthy and even more sauvage-inflected aromas of dark currant and cherry that are trimmed in discreet wood nuances. There is excellent intensity to the obviously stony, muscular and tension-filled flavors that possess fine delineation on the youthfully austere, compact and tightly wound finish. Patience required. 2016 Jean Tardy Echezeaux
Newsletter Price: $399.99
BH 93: Here too there is just enough wood to mention setting off the aromas of herbal tea, black raspberry, cassis and warm earth along with an impressive array of spice elements. As is usually the case this is the biggest wine in the range yet despite the imposing size and weight, the middle weight plus flavors possess a caressing mouthfeel before delivering very fine length on the dusty, serious and balanced finish that offers lovely depth. While there is good power, there is also a certain amount of refinement. In a word, excellent.