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Appellation · France

Marsannay

The northernmost village of the Côte de Nuits, and the only one in the Côte d’Or with an appellation for rosé.

Marsannay AOCcontinentalcool
What to expect in the glass

Light-bodied, bright, red-fruited Pinot Noir with high acidity and soft tannin — or a pale, dry, delicate rosé. Both are for drinking young.

About Marsannay

Marsannay sits at the Dijon end of the Côte de Nuits, on ground that was largely built over during the city’s expansion. It received its village appellation only in 1987, having previously sold under the regional Bourgogne name.

It is the one Côte d’Or village entitled to make rosé under its own appellation, a tradition dating from the early twentieth century, and the pale Pinot Noir rosé is genuinely distinctive.

The reds are lighter and more overtly fruity than those further south, and represent some of the best value on the Côte. There are no Grand or Premier Crus, though a Premier Cru classification has been under discussion for years.

What the name means

Legal name
Marsannay AOC
Type
Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée / Protégée (AOC / AOP)
Set by
INAO
Recognised
1987
Regulates
Origin, plus grape varieties, maximum yields, minimum ageing.

The delimited area, permitted varieties, maximum yields, minimum alcohol, pruning and training methods, and in many cases minimum ageing. Administered by INAO.

Worth knowing

The only Côte d’Or village appellation covering red, white and rosé.

Grapes

Wines from here

rose

Dry rosé

Pink wines made from black grapes with brief skin contact — dry, fresh and far more food-friendly than their reputation.

red

Red Burgundy

Pinot Noir at its most perfumed and site-specific: pale, silky, high in acid, and the reference point for the variety worldwide.

Rules worth knowing

Confirmed in the EU register

Marsannay is registered as a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), file number PDO-FR-A0175, protected at EU level since 1973.

Article 107 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013

Specification published: Official Journal C 89, 16.3.2021 · Official Journal

Only the rules that change what to expect in the glass or on the label. WineHQ does not reproduce production specifications, and each entry carries the date it was last checked because appellation rules change.

The designation is confirmed above. WineHQ has not read this appellation’s production specification, so it publishes no yields, ageing minima or permitted-variety lists for it — those come from the document linked above, not from a summary of it.

What to eat, and how to serve it

Derived from this region’s signature styles. Each is listed separately, because a region does not have one serving temperature.

Red Burgundy

Serve at 14–16°C (cellar cool).

Try with fillet steak, mushroom pasta or steak with béarnaise.

Dry rosé

Serve at 8–11°C (fridge cold).

Try with fillet steak, asparagus or turkey.

Where to go next

Places worth trying if you like this one — neighbours, rivals, and the obvious step across.

  • Gevrey-Chambertin — The largest village of the Côte de Nuits and the most powerful, with nine Grand Crus including Chambertin itself.
  • Côte de Nuits — The northern half of the Côte d’Or, and the source of the world’s most celebrated Pinot Noir.

Sources

Sources consulted