Marc de Bourgogne Premier Cru Distillerie Mazy

The Marc de Bourgogne Le Premier from Distillerie Mazy is the entry point into Julie Ay's world of serious Burgundy marcs. Born from an assemblage of Premier Cru marcs from the Côte de Nuits, principally Gevrey-Chambertin and Fixin, Le Premier is a frank, elegant Burgundy marc of great honesty, laying the foundations for a range built on transparency, traceability, and uncompromising raw materials.

The source and selection

Le Premier is made from 100 percent destemmed Pinot Noir marcs, sourced from a selection of Premier Cru sites across the Côte de Nuits, primarily Gevrey-Chambertin and Fixin, supplied by trusted partner domaines with whom Julie Ay shares mutual demands and long-standing relationships. These marcs, made up of stems, seeds, and skins recovered after pressing, are distilled within days of arrival at the distillery, an ultra-short circuit that preserves the freshness and aromatic purity of the material. Distillation takes place domaine by domaine and climat by climat, never blending origins before final assembly, and each bottle is numbered for complete traceability. As with the entire range, an exhaustive technical sheet specifies the supplying domaines, the proportions of each climat, and the types of cask used for ageing.

Distillation and ageing

Distillation at Distillerie Mazy proceeds with the same artisanal rigour applied to all the house's cuvées, from heart-cut selection by tasting to precise rectification using mineral-light water to preserve the purity of the distillate. Ageing, lasting 32 to 44 months, takes place in 228-litre pièces that previously held Marsannay wine, sourced from Tonnellerie Minier. The wood's previous use brings a characteristic fruity, wine-like touch that subtly enriches the marc's aromatic palette. The AOC Marc de Bourgogne regulations, established in March 2011, require a minimum of two years' ageing, a threshold Julie Ay routinely exceeds to achieve the depth and complexity that define her range.

On the palate

The colour is amber with coppery glints, warm and inviting. The nose is clean and pure, both virile and refined, with aromas of fresh grape and apple opening frankly, accompanied by notes of roasted cocoa, delicate spice, and well-integrated oak, never crossing into the roughness one might fear from a poorly made marc. On the palate, the attack is frank and structured, turning on flavours of prune and citrus marmalade, with a full, well-built body that unfolds with clarity and sincerity. The finish is persistent and generous, lingering on cocoa and liquorice with a light peppermint note that speaks to the freshness of the Côte de Nuits marcs. A straightforward, unpretentious marc, virile in character yet precise in expression.

The distillery

Founded in 2016 by Julie Ay in Marsannay-la-Côte, along Burgundy's Route des Grands Crus, Distillerie Mazy grew from the passion of a trained biochemist for Burgundy's terroir and the discovery of an old liqueur recipe in her family's papers at her husband's domain in Gigondas. Julie Mazy has built an artisanal distillery of remarkable demands and precision, each cuvée accompanied by an exhaustive technical sheet detailing supplying domaines, varietal and climat proportions, and cask types, reflecting the total transparency and rigour that set this house apart. Distillation runs from September through March, with visits available by appointment.

Serving and pairing

Le Premier is traditionally enjoyed as a digestif, in a balloon glass gently warmed in the palm to release its aromas progressively. It also finds its place at the cheese course, ideally with an aged Époisses or mature Comté, or as an accompaniment to dessert, perhaps with dark chocolate fondant. And for those wishing to savour it in the most authentic Burgundian tradition, there is always the coffee cup, still warm and cradling a spoonful of half-dissolved sugar, as the vignerons of the Côte de Nuits do through long winter nights.