Sylvain Pataille Marsannay L'Ancestrale 2022

Sylvain Pataille Marsannay L’Ancestrale is drawn from the domaine’s oldest vines, chiefly a parcel of ninety-year-old Pinot Noir in the Clos du Roy.

Marsannay sits at the northern gate of the Côte de Nuits and is the only village in the Côte d’Or entitled to make red, white and rosé under its own name. It has no premier cru, which is one reason its best sites remain undervalued, and Sylvain Pataille has spent his career arguing the case for them. L’Ancestrale takes the Clos du Roy nonagenarian vines as its core and adds fruit from Clémengeots and Les Ouzeloy. Vinification follows the pattern of the domaine’s top reds: whole-bunch fermentation with indigenous yeasts, gentle extraction, no added sulphur and a long élevage. The difference is the proportion of new oak, around 50 per cent, which Pataille uses because he considers the wine dense enough to carry it. It is a village wine that behaves like something considerably grander, and it is made in very small quantity.

Best cellared for five years or more and capable of fifteen. Serve at 16-18°C with roast duck, beef bourguignon or a well-aged Comté.

*Every effort is made to ensure the current vintage is accurate; however, variations can occur. If you are after a specific vintage, please contact us prior to ordering.