2018 Marsannay Les Longeroies

Bark and dark mushrooms with blackberries and ripe strawberries. Walnuts and some graphite, too. Full and linear with very round, creamy tannins. Crunchy at the end. A really beautiful wine. Try after 2023.

The 2018 Marsannay Les Longeroies, raised in 30% new oak and with 90% whole-bunch fruit, has a superb bouquet of well-defined red currant and cranberry fruit. The oak is very nicely integrated here. The saline palate is medium-bodied with chalky tannins and good tension, though I would like a little more substance and grip on the finish. Still, I see good potential here from a traditionally styled and quite cerebral Marsannay.

Limestone blocks underneath and lots of red (iron-rich) clay. From a parcel in the middle of the lieu-dit, further away from Montagne and mid slope. 100% whole bunch. A blend from the barrels, not yet racked. Deep cherry red. A hint of charry oak on the nose in this hand-made blend (ie sampled from several barrels) but the dark-red fruit is still deliciously fragrant. A hint of those stems but they don’t dominate. More power here than in the other Marsannays. More density and firmer tannins but finely balanced for the long term. Persistent and fresh. Dense and chewy and just a baby but the tannins have finesse even now. (JH)