Marsannay 2012, Michel Magnien

The Bourgoblog team visited the caveau of Domaine Michel Magnien as the first stop in one of our mammoth tasting days. From the outset everything smacked of professionalism. We tasted wines produced from vineyards owned by the domaine not the négoce wines (Frédéric Magnien). This red Marsannay from the most northerly of the Côte d'Or villages has a lovely rich purple colour reflecting extraction from ripe grapes from the warm 2012 summer. Showing the confidence in ripeness, Michel Magnien even risked fermenting 10-15% of bunches whole. The bouquet of berries and red flowers announces a palate of fresh berry fruit, its ripe, balanced. Tannins loom, minerality tweets and there is a whiff of rusticity. Very good wine. Scores 26/30 for a Marsannay.