Marsannay 2018
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: 0.597 ha
Pruning: Cordon de Royat system
Yield: 41 hL/ha
Average age of the vines: 40 years old.
Vinification
Harvest date: 7 September 2018.
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: the grapes were 50% destemmed but not crushed (they were left whole) and were gravity-fed into tanks. Maceration with 50% whole bunches of 18 days including 4 days cold (12 ° C): Fermentation used indigenous yeasts only (no additives such as enzymes or tannins were used). Vinification without sulfur. 5 punchings of the cap.
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 2020, the wine was very gently filtered before being bottled using gravity.
Number of bottles: 3,281.
Vintage
2018 , abundance and excellence
After a winter that was almost too mild, the vintage was notable for two contrasting periods. Spring was sunny and totally devoid of frost, despite some localized episodes of hail, which had major impact on certain plots on the Côte de Nuits, which were hit in June. Then the summer was dry and hot, blocking the ripening process in places. Picking began early, with exceptionally abundant fruit in tip-top condition, offering the potential for some very fine wines.
Ageing potential: from 5 to 10 years.
Tasting notes
The nose is marked by red fruits. The palate is digestible and exudes spicy notes, as well as some mineral notes. It is a powerful wine with structuring tannins and a good length.
