2020 Marsannay Blanc

Having missed my annual tête-à-tête with winemaker Pierre-Jean Roty in his trademark baseball cap, it was high time I returned for what is a marathon tasting of the last two vintages, the 2021 from barrel and the bottled 2020s, over 40 wines. Roty tells me that he commenced picking on 22 September and harvested for seven days. It was one of their latest harvests in the last decade, although it was just half the normal volume due to the growing season. As usual, all these cuvées are completely de-stemmed. Wisely, I ask to commence with the 2021s because the 2020s are almost uniformly decadent, powerful, voluptuous wines that occasionally trip over into almost Port-like wines where it manifests Syrah-like notes. By contrast, whilst no doubt the 2021s are definitely some of the black-coloured, more concentrated, black-fruited and opulent iterations of the vintage, the coolness of the growing season puts a rein on some cuvées tendency for excess. These wines do require considerable cellaring. If you want a more immediate and transparent Marsannay, then head to Sylvain Pataille or Bruno Clair, but for wines with more substance and puissance, Roty’s wines will tick all your boxes.