2016 Marchand-Tawse Clos Saint-Denis Grand Cru
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Tasting notes
Three barrels, 25% whole cluster. 66% new oak. Mid crimson. Lots of spice on the nose without a really obvious oak influence. Prettily scented. For a grand cru this has unexpected delicacy. Fresh, refined but very persistent. Opens up to very pretty red fruit. (JH)
Critic scores
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
(13.4% alcohol; from what Thomas Dinel described as well-placed 65-year-old vines; vinified with 25% whole clusters and aging in two-thirds new oak): Bright medium red. Pungent aromas and flavors of red berries, crushed stone and rose petal. Silky, tactile and thick, combining a deep sweetness with penetrating acidity and saline minerality. Boasts superb volume for young Clos Saint-Denis but also outstanding energy. Really saturates the palate and vibrates on the very long aftertaste. A splendid Clos Saint-Denis in the making.
The 2016 Clos Saint Denis Grand Cru was showing just a touch of reduction on the nose. There is good fruit intensity here although the new oak will need time to be subsumed (two-thirds new). The palate is medium-bodied with impressive density and focus, fine tannin and the 25% whole cluster fruit very well assimilated. There is a subtle oyster shell note that just lingers on the aftertaste, completing what is the standout offering from Marchand-Tawse this year.