Note: a small .82 ha monopole of the Domaine. A cool and elegant nose reflects notes of essence of black cherry and a range of pretty spice wisps. The utterly delicious and vibrant middleweight flavors possess good definition and minerality, if only average density, before terminating in a youthfully austere, clean and focused finale that is also sufficiently structured to repay a few years of cellaring.

Aromas of licorice and plums, framed by a subtle touch of new oak, introduce Roty's 2021 Marsannay Champs Saint Etienne, a medium to full-bodied, ample and giving wine that's open and suave. Tasting with affable eleventh-generation vigneron Pierre-Jean Roty—who took the helm at this discrete family-owned domaine following his brother's untimely passing in 2015—is an annual pleasure that I always eagerly anticipate. This year, it was the turn of the 2021s, wines that have nothing to fear from a comparison with other sunnier, drier recent years, exuding charm and perfume that will delight Burgundy purists. Roty fans will be familiar with the approach at this address: assiduously but only shallowly cultivated soils, a high proportion of old vines, minimal use of chemical treatments, destemmed grapes fermented in concrete tanks, and élevage in generous percentages of smoky new oak for 15-16 months. My sense is that today's wines are suppler than the Roty wines of yesteryear. They're less forbidding in their youth than their formidable reputation might suggest—even the grands crus boast such generosity of fruit that their rich structuring tannins are frequently concealed. But they develop just as gracefully as ever. Readers shouldn't hesitate to seek them out.(WK)

The 2021 Marsannay Champs Saint-Etienne has slightly darker fruit than Roty's other cuvées, well-defined, quite elegant in style with neatly integrated oak. The palate is medium-bodied with crunchy blackcurrant and strawberry fruit, quite rigid towards the finish, hence my advice to just afford this a couple of years in bottle.(NM)