Marsannay Rosé 2023 Domaine Charles Audoin

The Marsannay Rosé 2023 from Domaine Charles Audoin is far more than a rosé from Burgundy, it is an institution. Marsannay is indeed the only appellation of the entire Côte de Nuits permitted to produce red, white and rosé wines under its own name, and rosé represents roughly one third of its annual production. That of Domaine Charles Audoin is unanimously recognised as the reference rosé of the appellation, a wine of high standing, mineral, taut and vibrant in freshness, crafted at 100% from Pinot Noir by Cyril Audoin, whose energy and precision sing through in every glass.

The terroir and appellation

Marsannay-la-Côte is the most northerly appellation of the Côte de Nuits, the Golden Gateway, as some call it, that opens onto the great corridor of mythic crus of Gevrey-Chambertin, Morey-Saint-Denis and Chambolle-Musigny. It was Charles Audoin, founder of the domaine, who made a decisive contribution to the appellation's recognition in 1987 by selecting from the 1970s onwards the finest parcels of the village and vinifying them separately, a pioneer of the parcel-by-parcel approach in this then little-known area. Marsannay rosé, drawn exclusively from Pinot Noir, is known for its mineral and chalky character, its structure and solidity that set it radically apart from Provençal or Languedocien rosés, less seductive at first glance but of a depth and gastronomic prowess that place it among France's great rosés. The parcels selected for this rosé benefit from chalky limestone soils, a soil profile at the origin of the saline and stony minerality that is the true signature of this wine.

Tasting profile

The colour is a pale pink with faintly salmon hues, bright and luminous. The nose is aromatic and immediately frank, perfumed notes of fresh red fruits, wild strawberry, raspberry and redcurrant mingling with notes of rose petals and lemon, with a light chalky minerality in the background that marks the limestone origin of the terroir. On the palate, the acidity is vibrant, taut and energetic, characteristic of Pinot Noir from the Côte de Nuits vinified as rosé, with supple matter and fine volume, aromas of tart red fruits and a silky texture that stretches with grace. The finish is fresh, mineral and persistent, of a length and definition that far exceed what one might normally expect from a rosé. A gastronomic wine in its own right, to be drunk in its youth or kept for two to three years.

The domaine

Domaine Charles Audoin was founded in 1972 by Charles Audoin and his wife Marie-Françoise, an oenologist, with just three hectares in Marsannay. Their son Cyril joined the domaine in 2000 and now oversees its complete direction across viticulture and vinification. Organic certification was obtained in 2021, crowning a careful approach engaged well before. Vinifications are traditional and precise, 25% whole bunch, maceration of 14 to 18 days for reds, and for the rosé a direct pressing extraction of whole grapes to obtain the purity and aromatic finesse that are the signature of this cuvée. Bottling is done without fining or filtration, on a favourable lunar day. A domaine widely recognised as among the most serious and consistent of the appellation, praised by Bettane & Desseauve and the Revue du Vin de France for its reliability and exigence vintage after vintage.

Food pairings

This Marsannay Rosé will pair beautifully with fine de claire oysters, scallops in lemon beurre blanc, grilled crustaceans, gravlax salmon with fresh herbs, terrine of fish or lobster salad. Its minerality and structure make it equally an ideal companion to refined Mediterranean cuisine, seasoned beef tartare or a plate of fresh goat cheeses. Served between 10 and 12 °C, it will reveal all the tension, freshness and chalky minerality of one of Burgundy's finest rosés.