Marsannay ’Clos de Jeu’ - Pinot Noir (17) CA

Pinot Noir | lieu-dit 'Clos du Jeu' | Comblanchien kalksteen | stokken 50 jaar oud | 12 maanden rijping op barriques, waarvan 20% nieuw | daarna 6 maanden narijpen op rvs | stoer | rijp rood fruit | fijne zuren | rokerig 

Charles Audoin

Een zeer interessante producent uit het uiterste noorden van de Bourgogne. Het dorp Marsannay-la-Côte begin net ten zuiden van Dijon. Vanaf 1976 nemen Charles Audoin samen met zijn vrouw Marie-Françoise het domein over en vanaf 2000 wordt het domein gerund door Cyril Audoin. Hij is de vijfde generatie binnen het domein. Hij beschikt over 14 hectare in de appellaties Marsannay en Fixin. Audoin is een echte specialist in Marsannay en maakt wijnen van 12 verschillende 'climats' binnen de gemeente. 

Review

The 2017 Marsannay Clos de Jeu was quite introverted when I tasted it from barrel, and that's the case from bottle, too. Unwinding to reveal notes of cassis, blackberries, sweet soil tones, burning embers and warm spices, it's medium to full-bodied, with lively acids, good depth at the core and refined but youthfully firm structuring tannins. 91+/100 William Kelley

This was a terrific tasting with Cyril Audoin, who has once again presided over a superb vintage at this Marsannay reference point. As I wrote last year, these satiny and elegant wines, intensely flavorful but gently extracted, can stand just as proudly among the grander villages and premiers crus of the Côte de Nuits as they do among the local competition. The fact that this domaine is located in Marsannay simply means better value for the consumer. Certainly, a tasting with Audoin offers compelling testimony to the quality of this underestimated appellation's terroirs—even if some of the best would appear to have been omitted from the forthcoming premier cru classification. At this address, both whites and reds in 2018 are beautifully balanced, despite what Audoin described as notable hydric stress. Harvest began on September 5, and alcohol levels range between 13.2% and 13.6%. As usual, I also revisited some recent vintages in bottle, and at this stage, I am no longer surprised by how well they showed. Audoin continues to belong on any short list of the Côte de Nuits' finest values, and savvy consumers are advised to take note.

Tasting with Cyril Audoin, who presides over this 14-hectare domaine, is always a thrilling experience. For my palate, these are the finest wines being produced in Marsannay. Satiny and elegant, intensely flavorful but gently extracted, these bottlings can stand just as proudly among the grander villages and premiers crus of the Côte de Nuits as they do among the local competition. The fact that this domaine is located in Marsannay simply means better value for the consumer. Certainly, a tasting with Audoin offers compelling testimony to the quality of this underestimated appellation's terroirs—even if some of the best would appear to have been omitted from the forthcoming premier cru classification. Marsannay was hit hard by 2016’s frosts, and the wines bounced back with generous crops the following year. So I was delighted to find real intensity and depth in Audoin's 2017 range from barrel. "To be honest, I'm also surprised", admitted Cyril, when I marveled at the weightless concentration of his 2017 Champ Salomen. In summation, this is an elegant, beautifully balanced vintage at this address, and one that will reach its plenitude sooner than the serious 2016s and 2015s, a duo that battle for the title of the finest Cyril has produced to date. I also sampled several cuvées from those two vintages from bottle on this visit, and they showed just as well as they did from barrel.