Domaine Tawse Savigny-les-Beaune Les Vergelesses Premier Cru Blanc 2015

Domaine Tawse straddles the line between tradition and innovation, a stance both Old World and New World in origin. Native Quebecois Pascal Marchand seeks to express terroir like the Burgundian he has become over the last three decades, while also embodying his New World roots, where gumption, hard work, and forward-thinking foster change. Joined by fellow Canadian Moray Tawse, this duo is at the forefront of a new wave of vignerons, embracing organic and biodynamic farming practices while rejecting draconian dogma in the vineyard or cellar. Since 2010, Moray Tawse and Pascal Marchand have acquired their own village, premier cru, and grand cru parcels in the Côte d'Or, as well as purchasing Gevrey-Chambertin’s famous Domaine Maume in 2012. Currently, the estate wines of Domaine Maume are labeled as "Maume by Domaine Tawse", however eventually the wines will be solely under the Domaine Tawse label. Burgundy’s Domaine Maume has long been celebrated by serious collectors for its old-vine, séléction massale plantings in Gevrey-Chambertin’s finest village, premier cru and grand cru vineyards, and this foundation for a nascent estate is no doubt the envy of many a vigneron in the region. These two friends and wine legends, along with winemaker stars Mark Fincham (formerly Domaine du Pegau) and Thomas Dinel (formerly Domaine Dujac), are eager to continue the domaine’s renaissance and evolution. They have converted all the vineyards they’ve acquired to organic and biodynamic farming methods, going as far as to horse plow many of the estate vineyards. Their knowledge of their vineyard sites is deeply intimate, and they seek to understand every plot to its very core. Preferring, slow, gentle, traditional vinifications that reflect the qualities of the terroir and conditions of the vintage more than following a set recipe, they have been able to create wines that are intense, memorable, complex yet accessible, and ethereal yet incredibly precise.