Grapes: Chardonnay Rose
Region: Marsannay, Burgundy, France
Vintage: 2021
Viticulture: Certified Organic + Biodynamic methods
Soils: Limestone + Gravel
Vinification: Directly pressed and fermented in barrels
Aging: 15 months in barrel
Fining or Filtering: None
Notes from the Importer: Sylvain Pataille is one of the new breed of winemakers who first achieved the highest level of technical training before beginning to craft his own wines. A highly-regarded consulting oenologist, who still advises over 15 Burgundy domaines, Pataille has in very short order built up (mostly en fermage) a domaine of some 15 hectares, all in Marsannay, the northernmost, and most recent (1987) AOC of the Côte de Nuits.
Chardonnay Rose is a genetic mutation of the Chardonnay grape specific to the village of Marsannay. Sylvain Pataille first noticed the mutation in 2002, when he acquired his Blangeys parcel, and found some surprisingly pink grapes at harvest. From 2002 until 2005, his Marsannay Blanc was 100% Chardonnay Rose from Blangeys, then he began to blend in Chardonnay from other parcels to complete the cuvée.
But Sylvain wasn't content with mixing this unique grape variety with traditional Chardonnay. He continued his research from there, finally using his vines from Les Blangeys to propagate the variety, planting at high density (20,000 vines per hectare) in 2009 and then in 2013 and 2014.
2014 is the first vintage for this cuvée, but as Sylvain's young massal selection vines come of age for wine production, we're hoping to see more than the current 2 barrels produced in the future.
