From vines planted at elevated densities, the 2020 Marsannay Clos du Roy Blanc exhibits notes of white flowers, citrus zest, crisp orchard fruit and nutmeg. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and racy, with bright acids and a saline, mineral finish, it shows plenty of promise.

The 2016 Marsannay Clos du Roy Blanc was cropped at around 20 hectoliters per hectare. It has a generous bouquet with dried pineapple and tropical notes that become more pronounced with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with fine acidity, generous with orange cordial and lime notes, a touch of blackcurrant toward the easygoing finish.

Racked just the morning when I visited the domaine, the 2015 Marsannay Clos du Roy Blanc has a lovely bouquet with guava, sesame, yellow flowers and hazelnut. The palate has impressive weight on the entry with notes of white peach, tangerine and a touch of dried apricot. It is less tropical than the Les Longeroies Blanc, but has a little more tension on the finish.

The 2014 Marsannay Clos du Roy Blanc had been on the lees in stainless steel vat since the harvest and will be bottled next spring. It has a complex nose, potent with arresting leesy aromas as you would expect, but behind that lies some feisty tropical fruit. The palate is well balanced with a harmonious texture, lightly honeyed with a tang of spice, extremely well judged acidity and great weight on the finish. If you misguidedly think that Marsannay cannot produce top class white wine, try this.

The 2013 Marsannay Clos du Roy Blanc comes from a single block spread over different soil types, with this vintage cropped at 20 hectoliters per hectare due to poor flowering. It has a well-defined bouquet with touches of crème brulée infusing the citrus fruit. The palate is tight and linear, much less expressive than Les Longerois at the moment, though there is fine tension from start to finish. What I like here is the salinity on the aftertaste that lingers in the mouth. Very fine.