Outstanding Old Marsannay Rosés

I have always maintained that rosés do not have to be consumed the first year they are offered for sale. Many can be kept for years and many improve with additional age (to read an article on this subject click here). This allows for buying rosés and keeping them for some years and also offers a great opportunity to people in the know to take advantage of the close out sales on rosés that occur late in the year that rosés are first sold and into the next year as the new vintage is arriving.

Recently I had the opportunity to enjoy drinking some older Marsannay Rosés from the esteemed Burgundy producer Joseph Roty. Here is some information on Marsannay and Marsannay Rosé taken from my recent article on 2015 rosés (to read that article click here).

Historically Burgundy has not been a producer of rosé wines. Marsannay is the northern most village in Burgundy and only assumed village status in 1987. It has no Grand Cru or Premier Cru vineyards. Before 1987, grapes in this area were used to make regional wines – red, white, and rosé. The production of those wines has continued with Marsannay now the only village in Burgundy to make all 3 types of wines – Pinot Noir for the red wines and rosés and Chardonnay for the white wines. However, there are not many Marsannays imported and the production is quite small. With respect to the Marsannay Rosés, they are really special with a lot of character and they benefit from some bottle age.

These Domaine Joseph Roty Marsannay Rosés definitely benefitted from bottle age. The wines were from the 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2013 vintages. I tasted all of the wines over a period of 3 weeks with the wines left in the refrigerator with the corks inserted. None of the wines showed any sign of fatigue over this entire period. They were all delicious. The wines were slightly different to be sure, but all were beautifully balanced and a pleasure to drink. I enjoyed all of them and did not have a favorite.  And, yes I drank all of them over the 3-week time period and enjoyed every sip!

2009 Domaine Joseph Roty Marsannay Rosé
Very light reddish orange color with a golden hue this 7 year-old rosé is fully mature and showing wonderful complexity. It has a gorgeous floral perfume with an exotic tinge and has lovely fruit with suggestions of mulberry and a faint exotic spiciness. A nice crispness gives the wine a lift and balances the fruit. Delicious now this rosé will continue to give great pleasure for some years into the future – Outstanding.

2010 Domaine Joseph Roty Marsannay Rosé
Pale pink in color with a golden hue this 6-year old rosé is very youthful. It has a very attractive floral and briary perfume with hints of raspberry and is very elegant and finesseful with beautiful balance. Faint hints of raspberry and citrus are offset by a faint spiciness and the wine is flavorful with a nice underlying crispness. This is a delicious rosé that will be drinking beautifully for many more years – Outstanding.

2011 Domaine Joseph Roty Marsannay Rosé
Very light orange pink in color with a golden hue and golden edge this 2011 rosé has a subtle floral perfume with a kiss of spice. It is bright and crisp with berry nuances and a very faint spiciness. This rosé is youthful and very attractive yet at 5 years of age it will drink beautifully for many more years – Outstanding.

2013 Domaine Joseph Roty Marsannay Rosé
Very light reddish pink in color this 2013 rosé has a lovely perfume with hints of rose petals. It is very delicate and finesseful with subtle hints of rose petals and strawberry with a faint citrus tinge. The wine is delicious now, but there is no hurry. It will drink beautifully and evolve over the next 5-10 years – Outstanding.

Atherton Wine Imports in San Jose, CA imports Joseph Roty wines including most of these rosés which they are currently selling. The retail prices are around $24 per bottle. Atherton Wine Imports is the only importer I know that has old rosés for sale. Bravo! This is something that hopefully others will follow.

If you can't find any old rosés for sale buy some of the 2015s that are on the market and lay them away for future drinking. Marsannay, Sancerre, Bandol, and Tavel are among the rosés that are very age worthy. And, if you wait for the close out deals at the end of the 2015 rosé marketing campaign, so much the better!

In Vino Veritas,

John Tilson

This article was originally published on July 30, 2016 by The Underground Wineletter.