Marsannay "le Chapitre" - Blanc

Le Chapitre carries a 16th–17th-century reputation that once placed it alongside Burgundy's grands crus — a claim Sylvain Pataille, trained oenologist and the defining voice of Marsannay since 1999, takes seriously enough to bottle it alone. The site sits on the steepest slope in Chenôve, outside the Marsannay AOC boundary, on white clay dense with iron — a soil profile that drives both textural weight and a saline, ferrous tension in the finished wine. The warmest exposition in Pataille's portfolio accelerates phenolic ripeness while the clay's water retention moderates drought stress, producing Chardonnay of unusual density for the northern Côte de Nuits. Fermentation proceeds with indigenous yeast only, preceded by long, slow pressing with a vertical press and extended skin contact before the juice sees oak. Aging runs 12–24 months in older 350L barrels at a low new-oak percentage, preserving site character over wood imprint; no fining is applied, though the wine is lightly filtered at bottling with minimal SO₂. What sets Le Chapitre apart categorically is its appellation status: this is Bourgogne Blanc, not Marsannay, because the parcel falls outside the 1987 AOC boundary — a grand-cru-pedigreed terroir bottled under Burgundy's most modest village label. The cool, frost-affected 2021 vintage delivered lower yields and heightened mineral precision; the wine will reward 4–8 years of cellaring.