Domaine Joseph Roty 'Cuvee Clos de Jeu' Marsannay Rouge 2018

"Joseph Roty suffers from what I call the 'Montrose Problem'. Let me explain. Go to any older vintage of Chateau Montrose where the bottle has been tasted by critics over the course of its life and it is the same trajectory. When they taste the wine young, everyone seems to think it is pretty good but not incredible. Then, a few years later, the reviews start to say that the bottle was better than they remember. 10 years on, it starts to be Oh My Gosh, this is amazing! As if it is suddenly a surprise that Montrose needs time to become itself!

"This is what happens with Joseph Roty. The wines age glacially so they just never get the credit in the wider community because they just don't taste immediately compelling from barrel. Roty are old vine specialists so we are talking dense, burly Burgundy when young which gives way to velvet power with time. This Marsannay is just entering its drinking plateau at 8 years of age. And, if you want the biggest recommendation I could give, I tasted this bottle and immediately bought every case the importer had left in their warehouse. It doesn't hurt like it is still priced like it is 2020 (don't know if you've heard but Burgundy has gone up in price a bit since then)."

JT Robertson, General Manager-Le Du Wines

jt@leduwines.com