Marsannay Comes of Age

Marsannay-la-Côte in the Côte de Nuits is the only appellation in Burgundy producing red, white and rosé wine, ‘the trilogy’ and, surprisingly, it is the rosé which is capturing the headlines.

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Gateway to the CÔte d’Or

Heading south from Dijon, the Marsannay appellation is the first you come to along the golden strip known as the Côte d’Or. It is sandwiched between the arable east and the forest and limestone plateaux rising above you to the west. Take time to leave the busy, commercial N74 highway and wander around the quiet hinterland of the Côte de Nuits, and the villages which make up this appellation, Chenôve, Marsannay and Couchey, just minutes away.

Wine making is not new here, it has been going on since Roman times. Being close to the city of Dijon, fashions have changed as the city expanded. As the population grew, the volume of wine from Marsannay increased and the Gamay grape prevailed. The town prospered and better quality was required so the vineyards were turned over to the Pinot Noir variety. It was the granting of the A.O.C in 1987 that gave these wines better recognition.

Last year the villages of Chenôve, Marsannay itself and Couchey, celebrated 20 years of their appellation ‘Villages’. It has proved to be a time of growth and development, a maturing of the wine, and recognition on the international stage. A syndicate of twenty five wine growers tend the small vineyards which average 13 hectares each, and they are dedicated to enriching the name of Marsannay.

Bernard Bouvier, the President of the syndicate says, ‘Considerable progress has been made in quality over the past few years with the initiation of the new generation of wine-growers, strengthened by the willpower of their elders. Five years ago, the first detailed study was carried out and it led to a better appreciation of the potential of the appellation Marsannay’. This ‘corporate’ marketing approach is now yielding dividends.

The founding ‘fathers’ of the new generation of vintners in Marsannay, Albert Clair, Albert Dercey, Lucien Guyard, Jean-Louis Huguenot, Jean Fournier and Charles Quillardet encouraged the second generation to progress and go global, whilst carrying on their know-how and retain respect for the ‘terroir’. Terroir encompasses many things, the soil, aspect, climate, altitude – all the components going into the production of the grape and influencing the end result to give the wine its identity.

Red, White and RosÉ

Marsannay is the only appellation in Burgundy producing red, white and rosé wines.

The production of red wine in this appellation is still the largest in volume, with some labels such as Marsannay Echezots (2005) and Les Longeroies (2005) receiving rave reviews. The resulting wine has a bouquet of red and black fruits such as strawberry and blackberry and similar characteristics to the smooth, richly coloured wines of the neighbours down the road, Fixin and Gevrey-Chambertin.

In second position comes rosé, accounting for nearly a third of the vineyards and 231 hectares in total. Rosé is not new to the area, Joseph Clair began making pink wine here as long ago as 1919. As with the red wine, the Pinot Noir grape is used, reducing the red pigments and tannins from the grape skins, seeds and pulp to a minimum. Technically, it takes great skill to produce this wine and the result is a fresh, fruity wine, delicious served chilled.

In France, volume sales of rosé have overtaken those of white wine as younger people find it ‘cool’ in more ways than one. It compliments Indian, Chinese and Italian meals, as well as summer food in general and is a refreshing drink on its own. This trend is also catching on in Britain and the USA. So with double the number of sales of a decade ago, this is the right time to be a rosé producer.

The white wines come from a mixture of the Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc grape varieties producing ‘aromas from citrus to white flowers such as hawthorn and acacia with persistent minerality’. A sixth of the total production (1563 hl) from Marsannay is white wine.

Marsannay names to look out for

As the Marsannay appellation continues to forge a strong identity, wine from the individual vineyards will become more sought-after. This is a name to watch - the time for a Premier Cru classification is fast approaching.

Here are some names which have won accolades to date: Champs Perdrix, Le Clos, Aux Genelières, Au Champs-Salomon, Les Favières, Le Clos de Jeu, Les Grasses Têtes, Les Boivin, La Charme aux Prêtres, Les Échezots, Les Longeroies, Clos du Roy…

Visiting the Growers

The famous wine growing areas of Burgundy start as soon as you drive out of Dijon on the N74 and the villages of Chenôve, Marsannay-la-Côte and Couchey are minutes from the main road. All the producers will welcome you and offer you a tasting. For a complete list, contact the Syndicat de l'appellation Marsannay on 00 33 3 80 34 36 12. Four producers are on the BIVB tasting list (best to give them prior notice if possible – they may be out working in the vineyards).