2017 Beaune Clos du Roi 1er Cru

For a few years, this Nuits Saint-Georges–based domaine/négociant rapidly expanded and changed names, to the confusion of some consumers. Fortunately, things seem to have settled down now: Domaine Tawse and Marchand-Tawse are domaine and négociant, respectively. But there are still complications, as readers might glean from reading my tasting note for the 2017 Gevrey-Chambertin En Palud. They arose when Bertrand Maume, who had sold Domaine Maume to Domaine Tawse, took back some of the parcels after an agreed contractual period – parcels that winemaker Mark Fincham was hoping to continue farming. Consequently, in 2017 you will see some cuvées reappearing under the Domaine Maume label. Nevertheless, Tawse continues to oversee an impressive and wide-ranging portfolio and in Fincham and right-hand man Thomas Dinel, they have two talented winemakers. Both led me through their 2017s, but first I asked Fincham about his perception of the vintage.

“In some ways, after the problems in 2016, everyone was very nervous. There was a lot of burning of straw and one morning where it blackened the sky. It was a close shave. It was exactly the same date as the previous year. We escaped and then it started getting warm. It was a fairly easy season with little disease stress. It rained a lot in May but not excessively, and the heat was not like it has been in 2018. Some of the vineyards that suffered in 2016 wanted to overproduce in 2017 – for example, Beaune and Savigny-lès-Beaune – whereas in Morey-Saint-Denis it was less. We pruned and de-budded to manage the crop; but then again, the old vines never produce excessively. We started the harvest in Beaune Clos du Roi and Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Vergelesses around September 8, finishing around September 15 in Gevrey. The yield in Gevrey is very stable, whereas in Beaune and Savigny-lès-Beaune it is much more variable, around 40hl/ha. The whites were not chaptalised, as the alcohol came in between 12.8° and 13.5°, but the reds were chaptalised a little.”

When Maume sold to Canadian businessman Moray Tawse, there was a bit of an outcry that one of the archetypal traditional domaines was being lost to someone not born and bred in the region. However, as I have written many times, there is much to admire under the direction of Fincham, and those complaining about the modern style of winemaking really need to taste the wines, preferably in blind conditions as I have done. Fincham manages to embrace both classic and modern winemaking. The Gevrey-Chambertin Lavaux Saint-Jacques is one of the best you will find, and the Aux Etelois is worth seeking out if Pierre Duroché’s is sold out. The Mazoyères-Chambertin might be my pick of the Grand Crus, but don’t overlook gems like the Volnay Fremiets or a splendid Vosne-Romanée Village under Marchand-Tawse. Given so many crus scattered across various appellations, not everything hits the spot, but generally these wines feel fresh and lively, and most are respectful of their terroirs.