Guillaume Tardy has a sparkle in the eye, the charming presence of a confident Burgundy winemaker nearing the top of his game. A super vintage, 2014, about to be released; another very good, very different one – 2015 – in barrel. And sufficient interest in all of this to ensure his biggest headache is a nice one: trying to decide what to allocate to whom of these totally pure, terroir-driven red Burgundies. Annual production is around 2,000 cases only. All the wines, including the Bourgogne, are single-vineyard.
Under Guillaume’s father there were a lot of shared farmed vineyards with Domaine Méo-Camuzet. When Guillaume took over in 2007 (having worked and lived in Western Australia, of all places, in the early 2000s) he set about re-energising the estate, buying up parcels of the right vineyards as they came up, and setting things up very much as a ‘domaine’.
Recent acquisitions in the pursuit of quality have been more technological in nature – a state-of-the-art bottling line capable of bottling under cork with a vacuum betwixt cork and wine, and a vibrating sorting table in use since the 2014 vintage.
Everything is compact and concise but you get the feeling Guillaume now has all the tools at his disposal to really go on with this. If the 2014s are anything to go by, he already is!
The wines are all 100% destemmed, with very cold initial ferments, only allowing things to warm up to 30 degrees when no sugar remains. He looks for tannins from skins as opposed to seeds, and seeks textural depth in the wines. Guillaume says yeasts will produce more glycerol at lower fermentation temperatures, giving better texture. As a general rule the new oak regime runs at 30/50/80% for village/premier cru/grand cru.
In the vineyards only organic sprays are used. Though his approach is practical, Guillaume has a growing interest in biodynamics.
2014, says Guillaume, is a vintage that shows extremely pretty fruit, with higher pH levels than usual giving the wines great roundness, and silkiness. Approachability is arriving perhaps a touch earlier than some years, but not at the expense of cellaring potential. These were bottled in January and are looking splendid.
2014 Jean Tardy Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits ‘Cuvée Maëlie’ RRP $72
Named after Guillaume’s daughter this comes from the village of Concoeur, and doesn’t see any new oak, all one- and two-year old casks. Plumpness and purity are the two immediate impressions here, with bright red-fruit nuances underpinned by plush earth and minerals. A sensational start to the tasting, and we await news on whether or not we can increase our allocation. Hope those other guys don’t confirm theirs! – Patrick Walsh, CellarHand
Good medium red. Dark berries and spicy, slightly resiny oak on the nose. Lightly saline and round, with harmonious ripe acidity framing the sappy purple fruit flavours. This supple, spicy wine should offer early appeal. 87 points. Stephen Tanzer, Vinous Media
2014 Jean Tardy Fixin ‘La Place’ RRP $120
A new wine for us, though not for the domaine, is the Fixin. Here you start to get a really good idea just how well the domaine is doing. From unfashionable Fixin this little charmer sees around 30% new barriques, and is super fragrant with delicate purple-flower and mineral aromatics. Guillaume says he works it “more in a Vosne way”, striving for elegance and freshness at the fore, with immense drinkabilty. He wants it to “float across the mouth”. And it does….! Lovely mouthfeel, yet pretty – florals and cinnamon spice. Polished yet slightly rustic tannins, fresh and crunchy.– Patrick Walsh, CellarHand
The 2014 Fixin la Place, which was taken from a used barrel but will have 35% new oak by the time it is imprisoned in glass, has an elegant bouquet with quite lush red cherry and cranberry fruit, clean, pure and nicely focused. The palate has a sense of brightness on the entry. Crisp acidity, a nice bitter cherry edge towards the finish, this is a fine Fixin to enjoy over the next 6-8 years. 88- 90 points. Neal Martin, The Wine Advocate
2014 Jean Tardy Chambolle-Musigny ‘Les Athets’ RRP $176
“My Chambolle is a bit bigger than most due to the rootstocks and produces powerful, big wine. I have to be very careful with the extraction,” says our host as he pours this next wine. Spot on too, a big powerful nose with just the merest nice touch of sulphide. Palate dripping with bright red fruits and shows great depth and concentration. Framing all of the above is crisp, bright acid, keeping things nice and fresh. Deep-set flavours, lovely tannin profile encased with sweet floral fruit. Just a really lovely Red Burgundy straight off the bat. – Patrick Walsh, CellarHand
The 2014 Chambolle Musigny Les Athets has a clean, lucid bouquet with raspberry confit, hints of iodine coming through, later wilted rose petals. The palate is medium-bodied with a succulent entry that sets the tone for this plush Chambolle. There is good concentration here and it is nicely weighted in the mouth with plenty of “rondeur” on the finish. I would like to see a little more precision once in bottle and that may well develop. 89-91 points. Neal Martin, The Wine Advocate
2014 Jean Tardy Vosne-Romanée ‘Vigneux’ RRP $200
This is on the north side Vosne, just below the Les Suchots premier cru. Lovely, pretty, precise nose: violets, rose petals, spice. Some more earthy gravelly notes too. On the palate it’s more velvet than silk, with a lovely open-knit and seductive texture. A really poised and precise Vosne. – Patrick Walsh, CellarHand
The 2014 Vosne Romanée Vigneux has a precise bouquet, here with a subtle earthy, undergrowth element, a splash of cola among the red and black fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins, moderate acidity, good density with black cherry and a touch of sea salt towards the structured, masculine finish that should soften by the time of bottling. This might well be one of the picks from Monsieur Tardy. 90-92 points. Neal Martin, The Wine Advocate
2014 Jean Tardy Nuits-St-Georges Vieille Vigne ‘Bas De Combe’ RRP $158
The ‘combe’ itself sits right between Vosne and Nuits and the vines in this parcel are around 80 years of age. Guillaume thinks of it as having the elegance of a Vosne with the strength of a Nuits. So Vosne Romanée mouthfeel with NSG tannins. In the glass it simply is sensationally good. A wine that pirouettes on the tightrope between exuberance and restraint. – Patrick Walsh, CellarHand
The 2014 Nuits St Georges Vieilles Vignes Bas de Combe has a pure bouquet, quite floral and feminine here with lush strawberry, red cherries and a touch of orange sorbet. The palate is nicely balanced, silky in the mouth and there is a keen line of acidity with black cherries, a hint of dried fig and a healthy dose of spice towards the linear finish. This will need 3-4 years in bottle, but hey, if you cannot afford Lalou Bize-Leroy’s version, here is a commendable alternative. 89-91 points. Neal Martin, The Wine Advocate
2014 Jean Tardy Gevrey-Chambertin Vieille Vigne ‘Champerrier’ RRP $158
From a 55-year-old vineyard on the north side of Gevrey with lots of stones in the soil, roots going deep into the mother rock. Fine silky tannins here, a very feminine pretty version of Gevrey. Guillaume talks here about how you make the best wines using your “taste memory”. Case in point here, a Gevrey tasting like someone from Vosne has made it. Stunning. Fine powdery tannins, brilliantly vibrant, sleek and fine, florals and fruit. – Patrick Walsh, CellarHand
The 2014 Gevrey Chambertin Champs Perrières Vieilles Vignes has a more backward bouquet, introspective at first, with subtle woodland/damp earth aromas tucked behind the ripe black fruit. The palate is medium-bodied, fleshy in the mouth with a gentle grip, nicely structured with good density. Again, this is solidly on the black fruit side of the spectrum with a touch of black pepper towards the finish. This has good aging potential. 90-92 points. Neal Martin, The Wine Advocate
2014 Jean Tardy Nuits-St-Georges 1er Cru ‘Aux Argillas’ RRP $232
End of the côteaux of Nuits, the last vineyard before Vosne-Romanée. Picked later than others, higher acid, good length, no big shoulders here, oak very much a seasoning only. Smells like Nuits, fruit is more like Vosne, fine tannins, lovely oak integration. More brooding and tight at this stage than some of others before it, will need time to show its best. – Patrick Walsh, CellarHand
This is the first wine to display any appreciable amount of reduction. There is good volume and excellent intensity to the tautly muscular and notably stony medium weight flavours that display more than a touch of rusticity on the impressively persistent finish. This is very Nuits in basic character but not especially austere or inelegant. Drink to 2022+. 89-92 points. Allen Meadows, Burghound.com
2014 Jean Tardy Echézeaux Grand Cru Vieille Vigne ‘Les Treux’ RRP $448
This is from a 78-year-old parcel on the flatter part of the grand cru, right next to Grands Echezeaux. A nose of spice box and spring florals, on the palate the tannins are fine, not too grippy. There’s impressive depth, with the power of the wine just hiding the fruit a little right now. Everything there just needs time to relax. Great potential here, and likely to unfurl into something really special over time. – Patrick Walsh, CellarHand
The 2014 Echézeaux Vieilles Vignes was taken from a one-year-old barrel, although the final blend will be 70% new oak. The nose is very attractive with black fruit rather than red, cold stone, perhaps even a hint of graphite. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, silky in texture with well-judged acidity, plenty of finesse towards the edgy and quite grippy finish. I would like to see it develop just a touch more precision, and that may well evolve after bottling. 91-93 points. Neal Martin, The Wine Advocate