White Marsannay Champ Salomon 2023 Sylvain Pataille | Burgundy

Sylvain Pataille 's Marsannay blanc Champ Salomon is one of the most accomplished cuvées from this emblematic Côte de Nuits winemaker: a hillside white that fascinates with the clarity of its terroir from the very first sip. The Champ Salomon parcel, located mid-slope above the 1er Cru red Les Craies climat, rests on clay-limestone soils rich in Ostrea marl. This particular geological base gives the Chardonnay superb depth as well as remarkable tension. Vinified from biodynamic , hand-harvested vines, this Marsannay benefits from natural fermentation with indigenous yeasts before spending 15 to 18 months on fine lees in mostly old barrels. The history of this climate, long confined to reds, reveals here a surprisingly structured white dimension, where Domaine Sylvain Pataille highlights the terroir's ability to produce whites of rare precision.

Philippe Mischler, sommelier at Mundovin: Sylvain Pataille 's Marsannay blanc Champ Salomon is a demonstration of precision. You immediately feel the mineral imprint of the place. This cuvée certainly deserves its place among the Burgundy wines that best combine tension and texture.

The nose opens with a clear, precise palette of candied citrus, coupled with a lovely presence of white nectarine. Abundant floral nuances mingle with chalky minerality, adding a saline, energizing dimension. The whole is very clean, evolving with aeration and faithful to the expression of the climate.

The palate reveals a generous, satiny flesh, where the ripeness of the fruit stretches over a framework of almost biting acidity, devilishly effective. The aromatic concentration of candied zest and sweet yellow fruit gains in complexity over the fine buttery notes that betray controlled ageing. Mineral tension remains throughout, underlining the chalky, saline character of the terroir, whose imprint carries the wine to a particularly persistent finish.