Marsannay “Cuvee Marie Ragonneau” 2020

A descendant of a family in which the art of winemaking was passed from father to son, Charles Auduen became the head of the winery in 1972 together with his wife Marie-Françoise, an oenologist by training. The 35-acre winery, located in the commune of Marsanne-la-Côte, produces fourteen different wines thanks to its large variety of soils and grape varieties. Renowned for the quality and consistency of its wines, which often win prizes in the price-performance category in various competitions, Domaine Charles Audoin uses traditional wine-making methods.

Pinot Noir has very aromatic profile, very fresh acidity and low level of quaite soft tannins. The nature of Pinot Noir wine is its flavors of red berries and cherry (red sour cherries in lighter wines and cooked black cherries in bold examples). This wine matures very exating, developing notes of berry jam, violets, leather, moss and mushrooms.

Marsannay is referred to as the Porte d'Or ('Golden Gate') to the Côte de Nuits. This stems from its proximity to Dijon, Burgundy's largest city and its administrative center.   Marsannay is the most northern appellation of the Côte de Nuits sub-region of Burgundy. The village level appellation is unique in Burgundy for covering red, white and rosé wine. Other than Marsannay, the production of rosé wines is restricted to the Bourgogne regional appellations.   The grapes used to produce Marsannay wine are the key varieties found throughout the Côte d'Or. Pinot Noir is the principal variety used for reds. Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc are employed for whites (Pinot Gris is also permitted in small quantities). A combination of Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris, with up to 10 percent Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc, goes into the rosé wines.  

Burgundy (Bourgogne) can be confusing because of the multiplicity of its appellations - all the small vineyards are divided between multiple producers so it can often be difficult to understand this diversity. However, it is the exact reason why the wines of Burgundy are considered to be the finest in the world. A common topic of discussion, when talking about Burgundy, is the concept of "terroir" - a unique combination of soil and climate conditions that affects the taste of wine in the appellations, making it unique to each village. Winemakers mainly use the capricious Pinot Noir and the classical Chardonnay to create true masterpieces, while Gamay and Aligote are used to make wines of a bit simpler style. Particular attention should be paid to the hierarchy of wines. First there are the regional and village wines, a step higher - the Premier Cru wines and the outstanding Grand Cru - at the top. Due the complex and inconsistent weather that can notably impact wine quality especially in bad harvest years, a very important factor here is the so called millesime - the harvest year of the grapes the particular wine is produced of, because each of these years has its own unique taste. Purchasing Burgundy wines is not easy because there are many details that should be taken into consideration - the class of the vineyard, the assessment of the manufacturer, the age of the vines, the quality of the wine as well as the millesime and, of course, the potential of ageing. The sellers play a big role here - they must be truly passionate about wine and able to offer only the best quality producers with a good reputation. That is exactly the way "Noble Wine" works!