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Wine Experience #100!!! We hit our first milestone, and it's so fitting that our visit took place in the wine region where we spent our first year in Europe. It is also fascinating that our host for the experience at Château de Marsannay, Andrée, recently joined the incoming Wine & Spirits MBA Class at the Burgundy School of Business, Amelie and my alma mater!
We began the group tour experience with a detailed overview of the Burgundy region given by our host. Andrée leveraged maps of the entire region and soil samples of the areas in Marsannay to illustrate the dramatic differences in the village's specific vineyards. Marsannay is the most northern village of the Côte de Nuit, known for producing Pinot Noir and Rosé wines. Yes, vignerons produce Rosé in the heart of Burgundy! Marsannay is much lesser known than the nearby villages of Gevrey-Chambertin or Vosne-Romanée. However, it makes some outstanding Pinot Noir wines at much more affordable prices than its neighbors. Unfortunately, you are less likely to find these wines internationally due to the smaller size of Marsannay and the fact it does not have any Grand Cru or Premier Cru sites. If you see a bottle of Marsannay in your local wine store or on a restaurant's wine list, we recommend that you give it a try!
During the second part of our tour, Andrée led us down into the Château’s cellar, where we saw many wooden oak barrels prepared to accept the newest vintage being crushed and fermented during our visit. Following the cellar tour, our host led us back to the ground floor of the Château, where we had the opportunity to taste nine wines. Château Marsannay owns vineyards within Marsannay and has sites in the nearby villages of Fixin, Gevrey-Chambertin, and two additional areas, Pommard and Puligny-Montrachet, both located south of the city of Beaune, in the Côte de Beaune.
Although the Puligny-Montrachet Chardonnay was quite impressive, we felt our favorite wine from the lineup was the 2017 Marsannay Clos de Jeu. The Clos de Jeu vineyard is a mere 1.79 hectares (4.4 acres), almost the same size as the world-famous Romanée-Conti vineyard but with a much more affordable wine! The Clos de Jeu is mid-slope of the famous "Golden Slope" of Burgundy, meaning that rain drains freely, and more importantly, frost is less likely to settle here to cause damage during the spring. The greater the drainage of water in this part of Burgundy, the more the vines need to struggle for resources and thus resulting in a more concentrated wine. We found the wine to show concentrated aromas and flavors of strawberry, cherry, and cranberry interlaced with aromas and flavors derived from the 16 to 18 months of oak ageing, including vanilla and coffee. The wine persisted for a long time on the palate, a testament to the wine's quality. Clos de Jeu also sounds like my name, which is a major plus!
500 Wineries sends an enormous THANK YOU to Andrée and Château de Marsannay for making our 100th wine experience among the Top 20% of visits to date!!!! We also want to thank all of our supporters! On to the next 100 experiences!
Experience Rating: 4 Stars
Brodi’s Rating: 1 Paw Up
Pet-Friendly: Yes, but not in the cellar
Experience Vibe: Group Experience, Cellar Tour, Standing Wine Tasting
Reservations Needed: Yes
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