Joseph Roty, Marsannay, Au Champ St-Etienne 2020 - 75cl
2020 is a vintage Burgundy will talk about for years, and in the Cote de Nuits few domaines nailed it like Roty; one writer called them an epicentre of the great 2020s. So this Marsannay carries some weight for a village wine.
Champs St-Etienne is a lieu-dit with real history, replanted by nuns in the 1600s, and Roty farm it with the same old-vine, late-picking approach they bring to their grand crus up in Gevrey. Marsannay may be the northern outpost of the Cote de Nuits, still premier-cru-less and keenly priced, but nothing here is treated as an afterthought.
Expect the house signature, sweet red berries, rose petal and a liquorice thread, but with 2020's extra concentration and grip. The tannins are fine and chalky, the acidity keeps it mineral and precise, and the whole thing has the density to reward a few years in the cellar. Approachable from 2025 and good through the early 2030s.
How to Serve
16C in a Burgundy bowl. This is young and concentrated, so give it an hour in a decanter now, or tuck it away for a couple of years and let it come to you.
Where to Drink It
- Brat, Shoreditch: wood-fired game to stand up to the vintage's density.
- The Wolseley: a wine with this much depth deserves a proper dinner.
- Planque, Haggerston: the sort of cellar that would flag a 2020 Roty as one to grab.
Food Pairings
Save it for something with a bit of ceremony: a roast rack of venison, or squab pigeon with a red wine jus.
