2010 Marsannay Clos du Roy

The 2010 Marsannay Clos du Roy is sweet, rich, round and totally sensual. Blackberries, blueberries, spices and mint are nicely supported by fine, silky tannins. This is an unusually dark Marsannay, yet there is plenty of depth and clarity in the glass, not to mention the insistent minerality that is one of the signatures of the year. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2020. I tasted an amazing range of 2010 reds at Jadot with long-term winemaker Jacques Lardiere and his successor Frederic Barnier. In order to make this large section of the report easier to read, I have broken up the wines into the Cote de Beaune and Cote de Nuits. Lardiere and Barnier told me they were quite worried about the prospects for the harvest upon their return from summer vacations in August, but the year was saved by a perfect September. Yields are down 25-50% because of the frost and cold weather earlier in the year, but overall quality is very high. Lardiere and Barnier also noted that early on it appeared that there would be a wide gap in quality between the Cote de Beaune and the Cote de Nuits, but over time that gap narrowed to some extent. Still, there is little question the vintage was more challenging in the Cote de Beaune because of a rainier summer and overall higher precipitation throughout the year. Importer: Kobrand Corp., Purchase, NY; tel. (914) 253-7756

The 2010 Marsannay Clos du Roy is sweet, rich, round and totally sensual. Blackberries, blueberries, spices and mint are nicely supported by fine, silky tannins. This is an unusually dark Marsannay, yet there is plenty of depth and clarity in the glass, not to mention the insistent minerality that is one of the signatures of the year. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2020. Feb 2012, www.robertparker.com