2012 Marchand-Tawse Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru
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Tasting notes
Tasted blind at the annual "Burgfest" tasting in Beaune. The 2012 Mazis Chambertin Grand Cru from Domaine Maume-Tawse has a strong sea influence on the nose, infusing the dusky black fruit, later offering scents of cola and dried orange peel. It is mercurial in the glass - a grand cru difficult to pin down. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin. There is still a touch of new oak to be resolved, but there is good fruit concentration here with a lovely spiciness springing up on the finish that fans out. It is another great wine from Maume-Tawse, but it needs serious ageing.
Critic scores
Average Score
Richard Hemming MW, jancisrobinson.com
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Very dark, bright red. Pungent, high-pitched aromas of wild strawberry, raspberry, cherry, licorice and violet. Large-scaled, sweet and powerful; mouthfilling but light on its feet, with tactile, dusty dark cherry and dark berry flavors enlivened by saline minerality. Finishes with fine-grained tannins and promising medicinal reserve. Showing none of the animal character that characterized this grand cru in the past; in fact, this is actually quite refined. But it may be in the process of shutting down in the bottle.
The 2012 Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru was showing a little reduction on the nose, but peering under that, there appears to be some excellent ripe black fruit. The palate showed less reduction, exhibiting superb weight and concentration in the mouth, hints of tealeaf infusing the mixture of red and black fruit, while the finish displayed commendable concentration and mineralite. Drink 2017-2030+. I have a strong affection for Domaine Maume, whose unapologetically traditional, often herbaceous wines had a propensity to evolve into quite compelling expression of Pinot Noir that you either love or hate. Certainly, when I conducted a vertical of their Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru back to the mid-1980s several years ago, I was not alone in appreciating their freshness and terroir expression. They ticked enough boxes for me. Winemaker Bertrand Maume had a canny knack of creating wines that initially seemed to lack depth, yet given bottle age and aeration, revealed hidden depths that made his wines mysteriously captivating. I use the past tense because in 2011 the family shareholders decided to capitalize on their interest and among much speculation, sold to Murray Tawse, who backs winemaker Pascal Marchand. The good news is that Bertrand has been retained and was present when I tasted recent releases. Importer: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant Importer, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 524-1524; Fax (510) 528-7026. Also through Berry Brothers in the UK.
80% new oak. Very special plants apparently. 40% whole bunch. Dark crimson. Slight char on the nose. Very sweet start. Not subtle! Quite severe and even a bit of greenness. Hard work! Falls away a bit suddenly. Demanding. Opens towards the end. I am not worthy, perhaps? It is certainly still very embryonic. (JR)