Sylvain Pataille, Marsannay (Burgundy, France) Les Longeroies 2022 ($82, Vineyard Road)

The wines from Marsannay, the northernmost outpost of the Côte de Nuits, almost a suburb of Dijon, has flown under the radar for decades. Indeed, it gained its legally recognized Village appellation status only in 1987. Prior to that time, its wines could only carry the regional appellation of Bourgogne rouge. Growers have been lobbying the French wine authorities to recognize some vineyards, Les Longeroies among them, with Premier Cru status. Sylvain Pataille, one of the locomotives that is putting Marsannay on the map, makes a range of fabulous wines. This stunning 2022 Les Longeroies is just one of them and shows why the vineyard deserves recognition. A minerality explodes from the glass yet the wine is refined, not flamboyant. Its silky texture screams Premier Cru quality. Captivating now, with a roast chicken and mushroom sauce, for example, its balance suggests that a graceful and wonderful evolution lives ahead, so find a place in the cellar.
94 Michael Apstein