2010 Pascal Marchand Mazy-Chambertin

Pascal Marchand is a French-Canadian who arrived in Burgundy in 1983 to work the harvest at Domaine Bruno Clair. A big personality with apparently limitless energy, he quickly developed a talent for working with Pinot Noir. He became winemaker at Comte Armand’s Clos des Epeneaux and Domaine de la Vougeraie and was a consulting winemaker at Thomas-Moillard and numerous wineries around the world before starting his own negociant business in 2006. Marchand calls his maison a “micro-negoce,” reflecting his desire to remain a small, highly individualistic negociant. Since Thomas-Moillard closed down Marchand has acquired many of that domaine’s buildings and he is now making his wine on the site. Marchand makes both reds and whites, and his wines earn compliments and scores in the mid-90s. He produces Grand Crus including Corton, Gevrey-Chambertin, Batard Montrachet, Meursault, Clos de la Roche, Mazis-Chambertin, Latricieres-Chambertin, Echezeaux and Vosne-Romanee. He also produces Premier Crus and village wines.

Mazis-Chambertin is a 22.4 acre Grand Cru vineyard near the village of Gevrey-Chambertin. The name Mazis is sometimes spelled with a “y” or without the final “s.” The soil is shallow and somewhat rocky, and the wine made from this vineyard is considered excellent. The legendary Lalou Bize of Maison Leroy is one of the smaller landholders with about .6 of an acre. There are some 30 proprietors with parcels in Mazis-Chambertin. The largest are Hospices de Beaune, with 4.38 acres; Bernard Dugat-Py, with 3.05 acres; and Joseph Faiveley, with 3 acres.

This red wine is relatively light and can pair with a wide variety of foods. The grape prefers cooler climates and the wine is most often associated with Burgundy, Champagne and the U.S. west coast. Regional differences make it nearly as fickle as it is flexible.