Domaine Marc Roy: Setting A New Benchmark In Gevrey-Chambertin
“The quality Domaine Marc Roy achieves with village level vineyards is rarely matched.“ - Allen Meadows, Burghound
THE BURGUNDY BADASS
Meet the 4th Generation of the Roy (Pronounced “wah“) family – Alexandrine Roy. Since 2003, she took over the estate from her father and till date, runs all 4 hectares meticulously with close precision. In 2015, she was also awarded ‘The Most Talented Burgundy Winemaker‘ by her peers. Definitely hitting the nail on the head when we say – Small in size but big in talent!
A valiant winemaker, Alexandrine forges an extremely close relationship with her vines and terroirs, in turn allowing her to produce sublimely silky, plush and supple, transparent wines. How hands on, you ask?
1. Removing shoots on the vines giving a good aeration of the grapes, but at the same time limiting the number of grape bunches.
2. Removing the leaves right before harvest. This allows the pickers to better see what they are cutting.
3. There is no sorting table at Domaine Marc Roy. Sorting is carried out by hand and by the same team of pickers year after year. The grapes go through a rigorous second check after being emptied into plastic cases before being transported to the winery
4. Traditional wine making techniques – Pigeage by foot! (Punching down the cap with her feet!)
Marsannay Champs Perdrix Blanc
A mere 0.5 hectares, these 40-year-old vines are located on a steep hill with nearly 400m of alleviation, consisting of 10cm of fine rock top soil that leads straight into pure limestone. The wines are vinified in 20% new oak with no malolactic fermentation; fermented and aged in 20% new barrel. Marc Roy is one of only 3 white producers of Chardonnay in Marsannay, bordering Fixin.
Gevrey Chambertin Vieilles Vignes
Produced with grapes from 6 individual parcels: En Jouise, La Justice, Les Murots, Carougeot, Les Crays, Vignes Belles and Les Seuvrees, with vines typically ranging around 70 years old. Wine is characterised by depth and fruit lushness framed by a delicious minerality.
A single block of 45-year-old vines perfectly seated at the top of the slope right next to Clos de la Justice. ‘There’s a number of tiny millerandage grapes here atop of well drained, light textured little stones.' This one is all charm, with a hint of freshness, elegance, purity and finesse.
60-year-old vines on iron rich clay over limestone soil. And where you might ask? This plot is laid right below Mazis Chambertin Grand Cru. Clos Prieur exhibits a perfectly deep core of dense and spicy dark fruits over layers of plush and sensual texture. Nuff’ said no?
Marc Roy Gevrey Chambertin Cuvee Alexandrine
Hand harvested, and made from only millerandaged grapes (also known as pumpkin and pea symptom) from the exact same 6 parcels of 70-year-old vines as Vieilles Vignes cuvee.
What exactly are Millerandage grapes?
Millerandage are essentially berries within a bunch that never achieve full size. Once thought as ‘bad grapes‘, these berries are blessed with unusually amazing concentration.
Everyone wants a Grand Cru or 1er Cru on their label. Everyone wants a bottle from famous, blue chip producers. But we at Grand Vin implore you to look beyond the names, instead looking into details – as how Alexandrine does to her wines.
“Great wines are born in vineyards, not in a winery.“ - Alexandrine Roy, Domaine Marc Roy
