Mazoyieres Chambertin Grand Cru
Domaine Taupenot-Merme
2016
Burgundy
France
Domaine Taupenot-Merme is a Burgundy wine estate located in the heart of the Côte de Beaune at Morey-Saint-Denis. The Pinot Noir-based wines aim to represent various terroirs rather than an overwhelming house style.
The domaine owns around 13 hectares (32 acres) of vineyard, spread across 19 different appellations in both the Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits. The domaine makes wine from several key grand and premier cru vineyards, including Charmes-Chambertin and Mazoyères-Chambertin, and the La Riotte Premier Cru in Morey-Saint-Denis. Taupenot-Merme also owns a small portion of the Clos des Lambrays vineyard, which is otherwise owned by the Domaine des Lambrays. The vineyards have been farmed organically since 2001.
The domaine in its current form was founded in 1963, after the marriage of Denise Merme and Jean Taupenot. Their son Romain joined full-time in 1998, becoming the seventh generation of the Taupenot family to work as winemaker.
PRESS AND REVIEWS
93-95 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Mazoyeres Chambertin Grand Cru has more sophisticated and mineral-driven bouquet than the Charmes-Chambertin, with a mixture of red and black fruit, damp earth, minerals and pressed flowers. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, a gentle grip in the mouth, quite effervescent in the mouth that tingles with its coiled-up energy on the finish. This is a deeply impressive follow-up to the 2015 and it may improve once in bottle. It has great potential, the standout from Taupeont-Merme this year. Romain Taupenot has been behind the ascent of Taupenot-Merme in recent years. It is almost as if fashion has caught up with them, traditionally furrowing their own path of slightly leaner, terroir-driven wines that were as much about texture as fruit, now many growers have changed back more to this style. Meanwhile, I think Romain has refined the quality here in recent years, the wines showing better integration of whole bunches (although everything was destemmed in 2016), tweaking the fruit up just a shade, certainly achieving more refinement and sophistication. (NM) (12/2017)
91-94 points Allen Meadows - Burghound
There is enough wood to merit mentioning present on the interesting nose that blends both upper and lower register aromas together that include the essence of red cherry and lavender that contrasts with plenty of earth, underbrush and sauvage elements. The rich, powerful and relatively robust flavors possess excellent size and weight along with very solid concentration where the abundant amount of dry extract does a fine job of buffering the very firm tannic spine shaping the youthfully austere and impressively long finish. Over the past 5-ish years or so this wine has become the most consistent entry in the Taupenot portfolio and it appears that 2016 will be no exception. (1/2018)
91-94 points Vinous
Dark red-ruby. Aromas of blueberry, black cherry, licorice and crushed warm stones. Thick but pungently spicy and bright on entry, then more backward and soil-driven in the middle palate than the Charmes-Chambertin. A bit less sweet than the Charmes as well, showing slightly edgy acidity and finishing with a firm tannic spine. This deep, layered wine, which Romain Taupenot believes will ultimate be "stronger" than the Charmes, will require substantial patience. (ST) (1/2018)
93 points Decanter#
The Mazoyères is the king of the cellar in 2016, revealing a brooding bouquet of wild berries, spicy coniferous forest and incipient suggestions of game. On the palate the wine is concentrated, ample and full-bodied, with good energy and a fine-grained chassis of savoury, sapid tannins. Drinking Window 2024-2040. (WK) (10/2017)
Jancis Robinson
Racy and beautifully textured. Almost more Morey than Gevrey with its insouciant, lifted nature. Lovely wine! 17.5/20 points. (1/2018)
K&L Notes
93-96 points Jasper Morris (MW): "Glowing purple, with a more chiselled nose than the Charmes but still with a weight of sweet fruit. Dense, delicious, greater liveliness at the finish. At the moment the mid-palate is quite reserved, unlike the Charmes, but all will come together."(01/2018)