Chateau de Marsannay

History of Château de Marsannay

The history of Château de Marsannay is recent yet already remarkable. It was in 1990 that the Boisseaux family, originally from Beaune and historic owner of the Patriarche Père et Fils group as well as Château de Meursault, had this château built in the traditional style in the heart of the Marsannay-la-Côte vineyard. Erected in barely a year, the imposing building, fitted with two levels of vaulted cellars modelled on the Cistercian cellars of Château de Meursault, was designed to vinify and age the numerous plots acquired by the family in Marsannay and the Côte de Nuits.

In 2012, Olivier Halley, a descendant of the founding family of the Promodès group, acquired Château de Marsannay (along with Château de Meursault) and launched an ambitious investment programme: new wooden vats, a vertical press, soil-working equipment, and rigorous selection of barrel suppliers. At the helm, Stéphane Follin-Arbelet, former director of Bouchard Père et Fils, shaped this renaissance, accompanied since by Sylvain Pabion. The conversion to organic farming, completed in 2021, and the anticipated classification of many Marsannay lieux-dits as Premier Cru have established Château de Marsannay as one of the rising stars of the Côte de Nuits, acclaimed by the specialist press (Bettane et Desseauve, Jasper Morris, Wine Advocate).

Terroirs and Vineyards of Château de Marsannay

The estate spans nearly 40 hectares, beginning in the north with the Bourgogne Montre-Cul in Dijon and ending in the south with vines at Clos de Vougeot. 28 hectares are located on the finest climats of the Marsannay appellation, across the communes of Chenôve, Marsannay and Couchey: Le Clos du Roy, Les Longeroies, Les Favières, Les Champs Perdrix, Les Echezots, Les Grasses Têtes, Les Crais, Au Champ Salomon, Au Ravry, Clos de Jeu, Les Grandes Vignes, Le Parterre, Les Boivins, and the Hospices de Dijon plot La Plantelle. The estate includes 14 climats potentially promoted to Premier Cru status, which would make it the largest Premier Cru owner in the appellation.

The Château also exclusively manages 5 hectares of the finest climats owned by the Hospices de Dijon in the Côte de Nuits and the Côte de Beaune, across Marsannay, Gevrey-Chambertin, Aloxe-Corton, Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune, Pommard and Puligny-Montrachet. More than 40 climats are thus vinified and aged separately, in a "haute couture" terroir-identity approach. Agroecology is at the heart of the estate: organic conversion completed in 2021, soil preservation, promotion of biodiversity, manual harvesting by a team of 100 grape pickers, controlled yields and rigorous grape sorting.

Vinifications at Château de Marsannay

In the cellar, the team at Château de Marsannay applies a minimally interventionist approach, designed to fully respect the identity of each terroir. Fermentations are conducted using indigenous yeasts present on the grapes. For the reds, after sorting, vatting and pre-fermentation maceration, punch-downs and pump-overs are carried out with restraint, adjusted to each cuvée. Vinification and ageing are carried out plot by plot, climat by climat, in order to preserve the unique signature of each lieu-dit.

Ageing takes place in the vaulted cellars of the Château, 9 metres underground at a constant temperature of 15°C. The wines are housed in oak barrels for 16 to 18 months depending on the cuvée, with a controlled proportion of new wood (approximately one-third for Premier Crus, more restrained for Village wines). The wood is carefully selected from several coopers so as never to mask the expression of the fruit. A year and a half after harvest, the wines are bottled and then rest for many more months in the cellar. The cellars can store up to 500 barrels and 400,000 bottles.

The Cuvées of Château de Marsannay

Fixin: A Côte de Nuits village neighbouring Marsannay, combining fruit and structure with remarkable elegance and finesse.

Marsannay Rosé: The estate's historic rosé, produced from Pinot Noir, with a pale robe, marked by notes of red fruits and a beautiful freshness.

Marsannay Blanc: A Marsannay Chardonnay with a taut mineral backbone, offering a precise expression of the local terroir.

Marsannay Rouge (Village): A fruity and indulgent village cuvée, a frank expression of the local Pinot Noir, marked by cherry, raspberry, violet and liquorice, with a rich, supple and flavoursome palate.

Marsannay Les Longeroies: A flagship lieu-dit in the northern part of the appellation, on light soils that yield charming and approachable wines. Aged 16 to 18 months (one-third new oak). Aromas of red and black fruits, subtle woody notes, extremely silky tannins and remarkable length.

Marsannay Clos du Roy: An emblematic climat in the north, in the commune of Chenôve. Fine gravelly soils on white limestone, yielding a structured, deep and elegant Pinot Noir.

Marsannay Les Champs Perdrix (red): A thoroughbred lieu-dit with a mineral backbone and brilliant fruitiness, marked by fresh red fruits and spices, with an elegant and persistent palate.

Marsannay Les Champs Perdrix (white): Rare Chardonnay grown on Comblanchien limestone soils with shallow clay. Nose of yellow fruits and spices, velvety and mineral palate, saline finish. Vinified by whole-cluster pressing, low-temperature fermentation, aged 11 months in barrels (20% new oak) with lees stirring.

Marsannay Les Echezots: A discreet lieu-dit, offering an elegant and fruity expression of the local Pinot Noir.

Marsannay Les Favières: Located in the southern part of the appellation, on deeper soils that yield a full-bodied and structured wine.

Marsannay Clos de Jeu: A structured and compact climat, built for ageing, with a thoroughbred tannic backbone.

Marsannay Les Grandes Vignes: A lieu-dit located to the south-west of the village, on the lower slopes, offering a dense texture and deep fruit.

Marsannay Le Parterre: A discreet climat, offering a precise and delicate expression of Pinot Noir.

Marsannay Les Boivins: A thoroughbred lieu-dit combining structure and finesse, with a mineral signature.

Marsannay Les Grasses Têtes: A sun-drenched mid-slope climat yielding fleshy and deep wines built for ageing.

Marsannay Les Crais: A discreet lieu-dit with a taut mineral backbone and brilliant fruit.

Marsannay Au Champ Salomon: An emblematic climat located on the mid-slope of Couchey, in the southern part of the appellation. Wines combining power and elegance, with great ageing potential. Deep ruby colour tending towards black, nose of violets, strawberries and black cherries, anise, fresh herbs and subtle woody notes.

Marsannay Au Ravry: A discreet climat, offering an elegant and refined expression of the terroir.

Marsannay La Plantelle: A single-vineyard cuvée from the Hospices de Dijon vines, the estate's historic and noble signature.

Gevrey-Chambertin Village: An emblematic village of the Côte de Nuits, a structured and deep red marked by dark fruits, spices and notes of undergrowth.

Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Bel-Air: A thoroughbred Premier Cru with a mineral backbone and brilliant fruit, the fully realized expression of Gevrey's great terroir.

Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Champeaux: Deep and structured Premier Cru, marked by ripe dark fruits and a firm tannic backbone, built to age for several decades.

Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Orveaux: A Premier Cru directly neighbouring Les Echezeaux, with remarkable aromatic finesse and a recognisable "Vosne spice" (cherry, rose, oriental spices).

Aloxe-Corton (Hospices de Dijon): A village red from the prestigious Corton hill, fleshy, spicy and deep.

Beaune (Hospices de Dijon): A refined village red, marked by cherry, violet and gentle spices.

Savigny-lès-Beaune (Hospices de Dijon): Fruity and indulgent village red, a typical expression of the appellation, with a fresh and supple palate.

Pommard (Hospices de Dijon): A fleshy and structured village red, marked by dark fruits and a firm tannic backbone, typical of the appellation.

Puligny-Montrachet (Hospices de Dijon): A refined Chardonnay with remarkable aromatic purity and an elegant mineral backbone.

Chambertin Grand Cru: The absolute pinnacle of the Côte de Nuits and the Gevrey-Chambertin appellation. A majestic, powerful and profound wine, combining power, elegance and breathtaking aromatic complexity, built to endure for decades.

Ruchottes-Chambertin Grand Cru: A Grand Cru neighbour of Chambertin, with a thoroughbred mineral signature, deep aromas of dark fruits, spices and undergrowth, and outstanding ageing potential.

Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru: Iconic Grand Cru from the Côte de Nuits, a full and fleshy wine with a fine balance between refined tannins, softness and discreet acidity — a harmonious and elegant wine.

Echezeaux Grand Cru: A refined Grand Cru from Flagey-Echezeaux, neighbouring Vosne-Romanée, with remarkable aromatic finesse and a silky texture — the ultimate jewel of the house.