Pataille Marsannay Rouge "Clos du Roy"

Sylvain Pataille's distinctive blue-purple labels have elevated the reputation of the Marsannay-La-Cote community at the northernmost tip of the Cote de Nuits as an inexhaustible source of delightful, affordable wines, both from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and Aligote. Clos du Roy, however, is one of the top vineyards in this community, located on poor, reddish, clayey, ferrous soils rich in gravel. Here, the Pinot Noir grapes gain in volume and robustness, with wonderfully focused, expressive dark fruit and a fine, powerful structure. Clos du Roy is a young dynamo that manages to balance the power, concentration, and finesse of its fruit. Tight and structured, it needs enough time to release all its energy and tension.