Tasted with Isabelle Collotte in Marsannay-la-Côte, 14 November 2022.

Earl Collotte
44 Rue de Mazy
21160 Marsannay-la-Côte
Tel: +33 9 63 50 33 42
More reports with Domaine Collotte.

The eagle-eyed amongst you might notice that Isabelle was ‘eating for two’ when I visited – congratulations!

Isabelle on 2022:
“2022 – happy. A big surprise because there wasn’t a lot of rain but – from somewhere – we still had some juice – and we waited an extra week for maturity too!”

Isabelle on 2021:
“Definitely not the same history as in 2022! The elevage made us slowly happier – also a very nice surprise but we had to wait a year of elevage this surprise – the wines didn’t charm for many months. It was roughly half a harvest again – we’ve lost one whole vintage in the last three – 2019-2021. Some of the 21s are already bottled, the others are still waiting. 2013 was my first vintage – and it wasn’t easy – but it was much easier than 2021! 2016 was a much worse vintage in terms of the volume left by the frost but that simply cleaned out the vines and then everything restarted about a month later – another vintage that was easy compared to 2021!”

The wines…

‘Mineral, edgy but pure perfumed style’ describes most of the wines of the domaine in 2021 – at least on this day – so many VERY drinkable wines.

2021 Marsannay Blanc
This is normally half barrel elevage but with the small volume in 21 it’s all barrel.
That’s a pretty nose – with a good energy too – some florals start coming through with air. Supple, decently concentrated, modestly mineral – immodestly tasty with a nice citrus and mineral finish – yum!

2021 Fixin Blanc
All barrel, 20% new.
A narrower nose, silky. Broader, a little more intense – more mineral too though still lots of citrus action. Wide finishing – love this finish.

Les Reds:

2021 Bourgogne Pinot Cuvée de Noble Souche
Pretty red fruits fill the glass – not a nose of power but one that’s nicely open. Open, energy and quite good intensity too. The minerality and acidity are forward but don’t induce pain – I’d still be drinking this relatively early – the finish is yum!

2021 Marsannay Grasses Têtes
2017 – the First vintage. Bottling next week
This nose is a little softer and more perfumed. Direct, silky, and creamy in style. This is long, creamy and very attractive – lovely wine.

2021 Marsannay Combereau
‘Often the most masculine wine.’
Broad and floral again – an extra clarity here. More supple, again clean and modestly padded – there’s depth here – plenty of faintly saline complexity in these finishing flavours.

2021 Marsannay Champ Salomon
Narrower but also a nose of good clarity and of direct red fruits. Broader, a hint more tannic, and just a modest few mm of cushion for this wine. That’s an easy but clean and tasty wine. Another really very tasty wine that’s the most floral-perfumed of these in the finish.

2021 Marsannay Boivins
Rounder more cushioned red aromas. Broad, mouth-filling wine- a hint more sucrosity here too. The most attractive for current drinking in this package. Very tasty!

2021 Marsannay Clos de Jeu
A little less aromatic volume but here’s the most complete aromatic yet – floral and fruit clarity and a super invitation. The most complete wine in the mouth too – round but not too cushioned there’s a really good structure and presence here without the loss of accessibility- delicious wine – excellent!

2021 Fixin Champs Tions
A different aromatic profile – the perfume of roses here. Fuller, more energetic, more muscular too – but strongly, deliciously flavoured. I love this – a little wc in style but it’s fully destemmed.

2021 Fixin Crais de Chêne
A broader freshness, not of the rose in this case – seemingly textured – nice. Wide but with extra depth of flavour too – here in a more mineral and saline style. Holding very well – another that’s ‘too easy to drink’ wine…

2021 Gevrey-Chambertin
From 3 parcels of vines
That’s a nose with extra depth. Hmm – a sparkly energy to these complex flavours. That’s lovely – a leading edge of flavour that is aided by the acidity – as in all cases here – but to a delicious, mouth-watering, effect. That’s a lovely wine once more and one of the most accessible here – so far!

2021 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Evocelles
The domaine is the only owner of Evocelles in Gevrey – as opposed to Brochon – touching on Champeaux
A tighter nose but one that slowly releases a little red fruit. Supple, cushioned but still a wine with energy. A faint grain of tannin frames these flavours but without any dryness attached to them. Layered in the middle and finishing very, very, well. A very good wine in 2021…

2021 Chambolle-Musigny
80% aux Echanges plus Athets and les Chardannes. The last vintage of this will be next year (2022) as the family (from Chambolle) who had leased the vines on Fermage will get the vines back and exploit themselves.
There is a little extra to this nose but it’s also very much in the slightly mineral-edgy but pure perfumed style of the rest of their range. Broad, beautifully textured, satisfyingly mouth-watering and tasty – this is also, like the Evocelles, a very attractive wine in 2021 with a great, late-arriving, perfume in the finish. Super again!