Marsannay ’Clos du Roy’ - Pinot Noir (21) CA

Pinot Noir | lieu-dit 'Clos du Roy' | Comblanchien kalksteen | stokken 50 jaar oud | 12 maanden rijping op barriques, waarvan 20% nieuw | daarna 6 maanden narijpen op rvs | licht rokerig | verfijnde tannines | klein rood fruit | zacht

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

Revisited from bottle, the 2017 Marsannay Clos du Roy offers up a lovely bouquet of cherries, cassis, raspberries and peonies. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, ample and enveloping, with a succulent core of fruit that largely conceals its beautifully refined structuring tannins.

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. 92/100 William Kelly