Cyril Audoin is one of a small cohort of producers forging Marsannay’s reputation for serious, fine Burgundy. He makes exciting, elegant wines that are starting to turn the critics’ heads, yet remain brilliant value.
He is the fifth generation of Audoins to make wine in the region, but for years the family’s production was sold off to négociants. It was Cyril’s parents, Charles and Marie-Françoise, who started bottling the wine themselves, establishing the domaine in 1972. Marsannay wasn’t an official appellation until 1987, yet Charles believed in its potential, producing wines from plots that he identified as special. The couple gradually grew the estate from 2.5 hectares to 14.
It is since Cyril took over in 2009 (having worked with his father since 2000) that the property’s reputation has really risen. He has placed further emphasis on work in the vineyards, pushing towards organic practices, and a gentler hand in the winery.
The vast majority of the vineyards are in Marsannay, although they also have holdings in Gevrey-Chambertin and Fixin. In total they produce seven Pinot Noirs, four Chardonnay cuvées, one Aligoté and a rosé, which they feel is an important tradition and part of Marsannay’s distinct identity. There remains a focus on single-vineyard bottlings – many from sites that Cyril hopes will be elevated to Premier Cru status.
Cuvée Marie Ragonneau is a blend of fruit from the oldest vines in five Marsannay vineyards, named after Cyril’s grandmother who managed the vineyards after her husband died in the First World War. The fruit from the younger vines in these sites is declassified to make his Bourgogne Rouge. He also makes cuvées from Clos du Roy, Les Longeroies, Clos de Jeu, Les Favières, Au Champ Salomon and La Charme aux Prêtres (the original name for Les Rosey).
Les Longeroies and Clos de Roy, in the northern half of the village, have lighter, sandier soils, producing more forward, open styles; while Clos de Jeu, Champ Salomon and Favières are further south with deeper soils, producing wines that need more time. Charme aux Prêtres is made in tiny volumes, with just two barrels of the white and red from this plot.
Farming is organic but not certified, with everything hand-picked and sorted. A new winery was completed in 2014. There’s normally a portion of whole-bunch, however this varies according to vintage and the level of lignification, with – for example – none used in 2019, ’20 or ’21, but 100% whole-bunch on some cuvées in 2018. Extraction is gentle, with pumping over favoured over punching down. There’s relatively little new oak here, with around 25% on the single-vineyard wines. Racking is avoided as much as possible to retain freshness, with the wines bottled after an 18-month élevage without fining or filtration.
Total production is around 60,000 bottles, mainly red with Chardonnay representing about a quarter.
