2013 Marsannay Clos de Jeu

Pierre-Jean Roty described 2013 as "a fresh vintage with good acidity." The estate started harvesting on October 6, which he noted was the latest since 1978. "The maturity was prolonged and came slowly," said Roty. "The grapes were ripe but some didn't change color even though they had sweetness. The tannins are nicely melted into the wines and it's a classic vintage for Burgundy," he went on, adding that he finds the 2014s to be finer. No Marsannays were bottled under the Philippe Roty label in 2013 (just the Côte de Nuits-Villages and the Gevrey-Chambertin Champs Chenys Vieilles Vignes), as the older Roty brother was in declining health in recent years; he passed away last fall after a long bout with cancer.

The crop in 2013 was down 30% to 40% from a normal year, said Pierre-Jean Roty, but grape sugars were in the healthy 12% to 12.4% range when the family began harvesting on October 5. "The stems were ripe and the color was easy to extract," said Roty. The village Gevreys here are aged in about 40% new oak and the premier and grand crus get about 80%. The Rotys use a strong toast for their barrels (they prefer the coopers Billon and Rousseau), as they like the torrefaction notes of mocha and coffee. The malolactic fermentations finished in the spring as the temperature of the cellar was maintained at 15 degrees C through the winter.