The story of Domaine Jean Tardy began in 1920, when a young Victor Tardy started his career at Domaine Camuzet as an agricultural worker. More than two decades later in 1945, as a reward for Victor’s faithful service, Étienne Camuzet, then the mayor of Vosne-Romanée, decided to offer him several of his illustrious vineyards on a métayage (sharecropping) basis.

By the time Victor’s son Jean Tardy took over as vigneron-in-charge in 1966, Domaine Méo-Camuzet was in the process of increasing their vineyard holdings. Some of these vineyards came under the Tardy family’s care, including prized premiers crus as well as the grand cru Clos Vougeot.

In order to prepare for the eventual expiration of these sharecropping agreements in 2007, Jean soon began to search for vineyards to purchase. As a result of his resourcefulness, he was able to progressively add new appellations to the domaine’s holdings over the course of several decades — Chambolle-Musigny, Nuits-Saint-Georges, Vosne-Romanée, Fixin, Gevrey-Chambertin, Hautes-Côtes de Nuits and premier cru Nuits-Saint-Georges “Aux Argillas”.

Jean’s son Guillaume Tardy (father and son pictured together, right) is just as passionate about wine growing as his father, so generational transition has taken place effortlessly here. Guillaume started working at the domaine in 1997 and took over the winemaking reins in 2001, after having completed his viticultural and oenology studies as well as a stint at the renowned Picardy estate in Australia. His father continues to guide him, although in recent years, it’s become clear that Guillaume is firmly in the driver’s seat.

What’s of paramount importance at the domaine is healthy fruit and optimal ripeness. That means short pruning, de-budding and strict green harvest to keep yields down. This also improves air flow in the vineyard, mitigating many common diseases that plague the region. Sustainability is a priority. Chemicals are systematically avoided, and natural compost is substituted instead.

Once harvested, the fruit is destemmed and the berries are given a seven-day cold soak to release colour and flavour. Fermentation takes place with minimum pigeage to maintain elegance and finesse. The wines are gently pressed to barrel and matured on lees, receiving their first racking at final blending. About 25 to 33% new oak is employed for the villages, 50% for premier cru and 70% for grand cru, adapted to respective vintages. Élevage lasts for around 18 months in oak barrels.

With just over five hectares of vineyards, this small gem of an operation doesn’t make much wine. Its portfolio may be made up of mostly villages wines, but they’re all lieu-dit cuvées which, under Guillaume’s perfectionist rigour, become elevated expressions: opulent and elegant, replete with intense fruit flavour, with exemplary ageworthiness. In tastings, it’s very difficult to place these wines as merely villages, a testament to Guillaume’s special touch.

It is such a shame that Guillaume does not have some of the grandiose crus of his neighbours because the quality of the wines he is making from the ones he does have is simply exceptional. It’s hard to say when he turned a corner exactly as the wines have been impressive for a while now but they just seem to gain in assurance and class every year. — Neil Martin

Indeed, there’s been a perceptible rise in quality since Guillaume took over the domaine, and like many of his friends and contemporaries, he’s committed to continuous progress. His are terroir-focused wines that are rich and silky smooth in texture, deeply flavourful Pinots that glide across the palate. These are expressive, finessed Côte de Nuits reds of excellent purity and depth.

This is exactly what we found in the 2018s when we tasted them at the domaine in late 2019. Despite the natural ripeness of the vintage, the domaine’s wines were fabulously cool-fruited, sporting a calm and elegant disposition, all without sacrificing their fruit-expressiveness. There’s a sense of Zen about these gloriously constituted wines, and after spending some time with Guillaume, who carries himself with a gentle earnestness and an unhurried demeanour, we could see who these wines resemble.

Domaine Jean Tardy has quietly gained a discreet but solid foothold in the high-end restaurant scene across Europe. We’ve spotted bottles of the domaine’s wines in top restaurants’ lists and in the “exclusive” (meaning: the owner has to agree to sell you a bottle) sections of the better bottle shops around Burgundy. Yet the name is so understated that discovering these wines for the first time feels like being let into a kind of secret society. Having now experienced the revelatory pleasures of these wines on numerous occasions, it’s clear to us why many consider this domaine to be one of the finest producers in the Côte d’Or.

This offer is valid until 7 May 2021. Orders will be processed subject to remaining availability and final written confirmation. Some wines have restrictive supplies, so please understand that we may need to allocate them in order to ensure as equitable a distribution as possible. Full settlement is required in order to confirm the purchase. All terms and conditions apply.