Allen Meadows - Burghound.com

Guillaume Tardy is now in charge of this small, traditional 5.5 ha domaine though papa Jean is still on the scene to offer advice and a helping hand here and there. The younger Tardy describes 2011 as a vintage where we had “a very early start to the growing season as the spring was hot and notably dry. The summer though was just plain lousy and there’s no honest way of sugar coating that fact. Because we had more than 100 days between the middle of the flowering and the date of the harvest we did manage to obtain surprisingly good phenolic maturity and good if not truly excellent potential alcohols of between 11.5 and 12.8%. We elected to begin picking on the 3rd of September and brought in reasonably clean and ripe fruit that possessed good acidities. I decided to do a slightly softer but longer cuvaison, which is to say half as much punching down but over a 21 to 22 day period. The wines are really quite elegant with good concentration and freshness and I think my clients will like them as they will be accessible young but they have the depth of material and balance to age too if they want.”

I have noted this before but it seems that each vintage Tardy makes little improvements to his wines. They are less overtly oaky than before (though there is still enough to notice) with seriously impressive quality given that the bulk of the range is in villages level wines. Indeed Tardy has done extremely well with his lower level wines in both 2010 and 2011, particularly in 2010. If you don’t know the wines, you owe your pocketbook the favor of making their acquaintance.

2011's Dégustation sur Fûts - Barrels' Tasting 

2011 Bourgogne – Hautes Côtes de Nuits: A beautifully fresh nose of ripe red currant, blue berry and a hint of stone slides gracefully into fleshy, round and vibrant flavors that conclude with a balanced, delicious and persistent effort. This is very pretty and worth considering. (86-88)/2014+

 2011 Fixin “La Place”: This is also quite pretty with a relatively earthy blend of humus, spice and game on the red and blue pinot fruit aromas. There is good mid-palate concentration to the rich, round and solidly complex flavors that possess unusually fine tannins, all wrapped in a balanced, long and again utterly delicious finish. (87-89)/2016+

2011 Chambolle-Musigny “Les Athets Vieilles Vignes”: A discreet hint of wood spice adds breadth to the more elegant and airy red pinot fruit aromas that are cut with just a bit of earth that can also be found on the attractively rich, round, refined and lightly mineral-tinged middle weight flavors. There is good energy and detail to the solidly persistent and well-balanced finish. A quality villages. (88-91)/2016+

 2011 Vosne-Romanée “Le Vigneux”: (this vineyard is situated on the north side of the village next to Bas Maizières and Tardy’s is the only separately declared example of which I am aware). Here the nose reflects both oak and Vosne spice nuances that complement the notably ripe aromas of black cherry, cassis and anise. There is ample richness and volume to the mouth coating and solidly concentrated medium-bodied flavors that exude a fine dry extract that imparts a velvety texture to the balanced and impressively long finish. This is first-rate for its level and absolutely worth a look. (89-91)/2017+

2011 Nuits St. Georges “Au Bas de Combe Vieilles Vignes”: (from 50+ year old vines). Noticeable though not dominant wood spice hints blend with ripe, fresh and markedly earthy dark pinot fruit scents. There is a textured and very suave mouth feel to the extract-rich medium weight flavors that possess plenty of punch and excellent complexity, all wrapped in a long finish that combines power with a certain sense of refinement. Lovely stuff, particularly for the appellation. (89-91)/2017+

2011 Gevrey-Chambertin “Champs Perriers Vieilles Vignes”: (from vines planted in 1957). An exceptionally pretty, pure and very fresh nose unites aromas of cool red pinot fruit, wet stone, humus and wet stone. There is excellent power and a taut muscularity to the solidly voluminous, intense and beautifully well-detailed medium-bodied flavors that exude a fine minerality on the punchy and harmonious finish. This is an unusually complete wine for its level and very much recommended plus it should age well too if desired. (89-92)/2018+

2011 Nuits St. Georges “Les Argillas”: (from a .40 ha parcel of vines that average about 40 years of age). A relatively toasty nose with plenty of wood spice displays fresh and cool scents of red berries and earth plus a hint of game. There is excellent volume to the round middle weight flavors that are supported by fine-grained tannins that are firm but not rustic, all wrapped in an ever-so-slightly warm finish. (89-91)/2018+

2011 Echézeaux – Les Treux Vieilles Vignes: (in 2011 Tardy reduced the new oak percentage from 100 to 70%).  Noticeable if not dominant wood sets off exuberantly spicy, fresh and highly complex black pinot fruit aromas. There is both excellent volume and solid power to the medium weight plus flavors that are blessed with an abundance of mouth coating dry extract on the appealingly persistent, deep and seductive finish. (90-93)/2021+   Tardy said that his 2010s were bottled in February 2012.

 2010's : Dégustation Bouteille

 2010 Bourgogne – Hautes Côtes de Nuits: A pretty and very fresh nose of red pinot fruit that evidences subtle mineral nuances leads to rich, round and attractively detailed flavors that possess a racy, precise and energetic finish. This is a lovely effort and fashioned in an unadorned and understated style. Recommended. 87/2014+

2010 Fixin “La Place”: A ripe, complex and attractive mix of earthy dark berry fruit aromas is given added appeal by the presence of violet and cassis hints that are trimmed in a touch of wood. There is good punch to the very supple and surprisingly silky middle weight flavors that are not only delicious but relatively refined in the context of the appellation. I very much like the texture, and overall, this is really quite good and while it could easily be approached now it should reward 3 to 4 years of cellar time if desired. 88/2015+

2010 Chambolle-Musigny “Les Athets Vieilles Vignes”: Deep ruby. A gentle touch of wood frames the ripe, complex and attractively complex nose featuring both red and blue pinot fruit that also displays tinges of violets, spice and earth. The textured medium-bodied flavors possess good dry extract that buffers the moderately firm shaping tannins on the nicely lingering finish. This is a very fine villages that has a good track record for rewarding mid-term cellaring. 89/2017+

2010 Nuits St. Georges “Au Bas de Combe Vieilles Vignes”: (from 50+ year old vines). In 2010 this could pass for a villages level Vosne as there are abundant spice notes on the otherwise earthy, cool and ripe black currant and plum suffused nose. There is an abundance of energy on the well-delineated flavors where the supporting tannins are also relatively fine, all wrapped in a rich, vibrant and well-balanced finish that displays just a hint of rusticity. This will need some time to unwind but there is enough sap from the old vines that it should be approachable in its youth if desired. Well worth considering as this is a first-rate villages. 90/2017+

2010 Vosne-Romanée “Le Vigneux”: (this vineyard is situated on the north side of the village next to Bas Maizières and Tardy’s is the only separately declared example of which I am aware). A softly spiced and beautifully layered dark berry fruit nose is also trimmed in a bit of wood spice and leads to round and velvety medium-bodied flavors that display silky tannins on the precise, punchy, firm and linear finish where the wood resurfaces. This is picture perfect Vosne and an exercise in harmony as the balance is impeccable. Recommended. 89/2018+ 

2010 Gevrey-Chambertin “Champs Perriers Vieilles Vignes”: (from vines planted in 1957). A completely different aromatic profile speaks of very fresh, cool and restrained wild red berry fruit aromas that are liberally sprinkled with notes of underbrush, pungent earth, humus and that unique Gevrey animale character. There is admirable richness to the generous, vibrant and utterly delicious medium-bodied flavors that exude a fine minerality on the balanced, firm and lingering finish. A high quality villages that is again well worth considering. 90/2017+

2010 Nuits St. Georges “Les Argillas”: (from a .40 ha parcel of vines that average about 40 years of age). A relatively reticent nose of warm earth, red currant and black raspberry plus a touch of forest floor exhibits some wood influence gives way to delineated and highly energetic medium weight flavors that possess fine depth as well as excellent persistence with only a trace of Nuits style rusticity. This well-balanced effort should require 10 years or so of cellar time before it reaches its apogee. 91/2020+

2010 Echézeaux – Les Treux Vieilles Vignes: There is enough wood to notice though it does not materially inhibit the expressiveness of the notably ripe primarily black fruit, spice and earth suffused nose. There is both excellent volume and richness to the focused, powerful and broad-scaled flavors that enjoy an abundance of dry extract before terminating in a velvety yet slightly austere finish where a bit of wood toast resurfaces. This is quite firm without being hard and this too will require at least a decade before it arrives at its full maturity. 93/2022+

Burghound.com 17                 January, 2013

Bourgogne-Wine Blog - Patrick Maclart - Dégustation Vosne-Millésime 2013

MON COUP DE COEUR
Jean TARDY & fils – Vosne-Romanée

deux coups de cœur lors d’une dégustation, c’est la première fois de mémoire. Mais je ne pouvais taire le plaisir que j’ai eu à déguster pour la première fois les vins de ce domaine. Guillaume TARDY est aux manettes depuis 2001. Les vins sont concentrés, sapides, intenses, jouissifs. Vraiment du beau travail que je vais m’empresser d’approfondir.

****(*) Vosne-Romanée « les Vigneux » 2011
nez profond, cerise noire, réservé. La bouche est compacte, intense, marquée par l’élevage qui soutient bien le vin. C’est aujourd’hui très jeune, ça évoluera superbement. Bonne finale tonique.

le jeune Guillaume TARDY fera très probablement partie des prochains portraits du blog. Les prix sont dans la moyenne, mais la qualité domine. Et que ça dure !

****(*) Echezeaux Grand Cru 2011
nez fermé, réservé, marqué par l’élevage, mais ça a de la profondeur et de la race. La bouche est compacte, concentrée, une belle puissance mais qui reste fine, et typique de ce cru. Longueur inouïe.

Wine Advocate - Neal Martin  / erobertparker.com  N° 208 August 2013

 Millésime 2011 en Bouteille / Bottled