Domaine Sylvain Pataille Marsannay "Les Longeroies"

Sylvain Pataille founded his domaine in 1999 without owning a single vine, leasing every parcel he farms — yet from this unconventional base he has become the defining voice of Marsannay AOC, a village whose lieux-dits are currently under active INAO review for Premier Cru promotion. Les Longeroies sits at 280–330 m elevation on the upper slope, where gravelly, mixed limestone soils drain rapidly and force the vine to root deep, producing fruit of taut structure and pronounced mineral tension rather than flesh. The 2021 growing season — marked by spring frost and mildew pressure — reduced yields sharply, concentrating what remained into wines of classic Marsannay freshness and site-driven precision. In the cellar, Pataille vinifies with indigenous yeast, a proportion of whole-cluster fruit, and a long, gentle infusion maceration in stainless steel or fibreglass vats — deliberately avoiding extraction. The wine then ages 15–18 months in oak barrel at 15–30% new oak, bottled unfined and unfiltered with minimal SO₂ added only at bottling. What sets this cuvée apart within Marsannay is its elevation and gravel-dominant soil profile, which delivers a cooler, more lifted aromatic register than the iron-clay mid-slope sites. The 2021 vintage rewards patience: the combination of low yields and Pataille's non-interventionist élevage suggests a drinking window of 2025–2033.