Description
The wine
Marsannay’s lieux-dits are not all the same. The village appellation covers a range of exposures and elevations, from the warmer, lower-lying sites near the village center to the cooler upper slopes directly below the forest. La Montagne is at the top of that range. The name is simply descriptive: the mountain, the high ground.
The upper slope gives La Montagne a cooler microclimate than much of Marsannay and a later harvest. The soils are clay-limestone, thinner and stonier than the lower lieux-dits, with more limestone at the surface. La Montagne is among the Marsannay sites currently being evaluated for Premier Cru classification, alongside Le Chapitre and Clos du Roy.
Yann Charlopin handles it with the same approach he brings to every wine in the range: organic farming, hand harvest, fully destemmed, cold maceration before fermentation with native yeasts. The wine ages about 16 to 18 months in Burgundy barrels, with a moderate proportion of new oak, and is bottled without filtration.
For the village wine from the lower slopes, see the Marsannay Rouge. For another Marsannay site under evaluation, see Le Chapitre.
Vineyard & vintage details
- Producer: Domaine Charlopin-Tissier
- Appellation: Marsannay AOC (village)
- Lieu-dit: La Montagne, upper slope below the treeline
- Grape: 100% Pinot Noir
- Soil: Clay-limestone, thin and stony, with limestone near the surface
- Farming: Organic
- Harvest: Hand-harvested, fully destemmed
- Vinification: Cold maceration, native yeasts, no filtration
- Ageing: About 16 to 18 months in Burgundy barrels, moderate new oak
- Alcohol: 13%
- Vintage: 2023
2023 vintage note
2023 was a warm year across the Côte de Nuits with a large crop. Growers who thinned their vines made reds with supple tannins and freshness despite the heat. Picking began in early September, under a heatwave, and most fruit was in before the end of the month. A cool, high site like La Montagne, which ripens later than the lower vineyards, is well placed in a warm year.
Yann Charlopin founded Domaine Charlopin-Tissier in 2013 — son of Philippe Charlopin, mentored by Jean-Marie Fourrier. Organic farming, fully destemmed, cold maceration, no filtration. The wines appear on the lists of The French Laundry, Quince, SingleThread, and Les 110 de Taillevent in Paris.
