Scents of red berries, plums, licorice, potpourri and orange zest introduce the 2021 Marsannay Clos du Roy, a medium to full-bodied, bright and fleshy wine with powdery tannins, lively acids and a saline finish. A nicely balanced cuvée that's neither the most extrovert nor the most structured bottling in the range, it will offer a broad drinking window.

Opening with aromas of plums, wild strawberries and blood orange mingling with lifted top notes of rose petals, peonies and warm spices, the 2017 Marsannay Clos du Roy is a medium to full-bodied, velvety and layered wine that's supple and textural, its enveloping core of fruit underpinned by rich but ripe tannins and succulent acids.

The 2016 Marsannay Clos du Roy was showing some reduction on the nose that was difficult to shift. But there appeared to be good fruit behind that. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, very good depth and tension. There is a pepperiness to this Clos du Roy that leaves the back of the mouth tingling after the one has departed and to be honest, make the Les Longeroies look a bit straitlaced. Recommended.

The 2015 Marsannay Clos du Roy was quite closed when I tasted it, a mixture of red and black fruit, iodine and crushed violets. The palate is very bright and beautifully defined, the oak neatly enmeshed with superb acidity. This becomes more and more precise as it goes on. It is equipped with a tensile finish that offers plenty of black, quite spicy fruit. By this time, the aromatics gain their composure and ever more clarity. Give this 2-3 years in bottle and you will have an exemplary Marsannay.

The 2014 Marsannay Clos du Roy has a very lovely bouquet with red cherry and wild strawberry scents infused with red rose. This is very seductive. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, crisp and tensile, and fanning out towards the finish. Harmonious with pure black cherry and confit-like fruit, this is one of Sylvain's best reds this vintage.