Marsannay 2017
A recent appellation, Marsannay in the Côte de Nuits produces fantastic red wines as well as
a very significant production of white wines.
Origin
The vineyard of "The Golden Gate of the Côte de Nuits" covers the towns of Chenove, Marsannay-la-Côte and Couchey. This AOC is based on soils of great complexity of clay-limestone Middle Jurassic type.
The grapes of this cuvée come exclusively from the climate "La Bretignière" located in the town of Couchey a few hundred meters from the Fixin appellation. This small plot is located at the bottom of the hill with a full-east exposure and on a predominantly limestone soil.
There are traces of the name "La Bretignière" (from the old French Breton / Brecton = hawk) in the 1700s, it refers to the presence of a falconry where birds of prey were raised for hunting. It was attached to a manor house.
Viticulture
Grape variety: pinot noir
Soils: mostly limestone.
Orientation: East
Surface area under vine: 0.69 ha
Pruning: Cordon de Royat system
Yield: 55 hL/ha
Average age of the vines: 40 years old.
Vinification
Harvest date: 19 September 2017.
The grapes were sorted a first time in the vineyard and a second time on the sorting table when they arrived at the winery.
At the winery: grapes 50% destemmed, put into vats using gravity.Total maceration lasted 19 days including 3 days of cold maceration (12°C). Fermentation using uniquely indigenous yeasts (no oenological additives such as enzymes or tannins). 4 pigeages. Vinification without sulfur.
Ageing
Maturation: aged on the lees for 16 months with no racking using a proportion of 30% new French oak barrels.
Barrels: French oak barrels that had been toasted at low temperatures for a long time for very delicate oaking.
Bottling
Bottling: in March 2019, the wine was very gently filtered before being bottled using gravity.
Number of bottles: 5,052.
Vintage
2017 , finesse
The growing cycle was thrown off-kilter by a very cold winter, late spring frost, then optimal conditions for rapid flowering, sporadic hail, and summer drought. Harvesting began in early September in the sun, and after several lean years, the vines finally produced abundant grapes, although with significant differences in maturity between whites and reds and from one region to another, which called for strict sorting.
Ageing potential: from 8 to 10 years.
Tasting notes
The brilliant color is an intense ruby red. The very expressive nose exudes aromas of black fruit, as well as some spicy notes. On the palate, this wine turns out to be concentrated but nevertheless supple with silky tannins.
