Exploring Marsannay with Charles Curtis MW – Saturday 11th January

Doubtless Members will already have pencilled in various tastings and events for ‘Burgundy week’ (hopefully including Honest Grapes’ tasting of the 2023s at the Club, along with Jasper Morris MW’s BYOB dinner). Countless merchants are hosting en primeur tastings of the newly released vintage in the second week of January, so we thought we’d get ahead of the curve by hosting a Saturday evening session to set the scene, exploring one of the region’s most dynamic appellations in more depth.

Change arrives slowly in Burgundy – the process of elevating a vineyard from village-level to premier cru can take 20 years or more. But it can arrive eventually and it seems that several climats in the increasingly acclaimed enclave of Marsannay may soon be elevated to premier-cru status. Local paper Le Bien Public reported last month that ‘The application for premier cru classification of the Marsannay appellation is progressing, with [National wine board] the INAO validating the admissibility of 14 climats identified for obtaining this recognition.’

Historically, Marsannay’s top vineyards were very well-regarded prior to the 19th century, before falling out of fashion; today’s wines testify to the possibility of producing truly great wine here. And as Charles Curtis MW writes in the current issue of Decanter, they provide some of the best values in all of Burgundy. We invite you to explore the potential of this seriously underrated region with Charles himself at an in-depth masterclass on Saturday11th January.

New York-based Charles became a Master of Wine in 2004 and is the former head of wine for Christie’s auction house in both the Americas and Asia. The author of The Original Grands Crus of Burgundy, he is now Decanter’s Burgundy correspondent and Burgundy regional chair for the Decanter World Wine Awards.

We are delighted to welcome Charles back to the Club for another deep-dive into this under-the-radar but supremely good value appellation. The final list of 10-12 wines is still being confirmed, but the producers below will all be represented via at least two wines, largely from specific sites, including those designated for future premier cru status. Marsannay reds will form the majority of the wines, but one or two Marsannay whites will also feature.

The producers whose wines we will be tasting:
Domaine Bruno Clair
Domaine Jean Fournier
Domaine Philippe Naddef
Domaine Sylvain Pataille
Domaine Rene Bouvier (to be confirmed)

Please note that we now offer a tasting board of charcuterie, cheese, olives and smoked crispy chickpeas to accompany your tasting. Simply select your preferred option from the dropdown menu when you book your tickets.

Saturday 11^th January  
St James’s Room
18:30 – Welcome reception
19:00 – Masterclass starts
20:30 – Masterclass ends

Please note that once your order is placed, your ticket status will display as “processing” until after the event, when your member account is then charged. You will receive an email confirmation after ordering your tickets, stating that your order is being processed – please take this as full confirmation that your booking has been finalised. For any questions, please reach out to [email protected].

Please note, tickets are refundable for cancellations up to 48 hours before the event. Cancellations must be made in writing to [email protected]. Any cancellations within 48 hours of the event are non-refundable unless 67 Pall Mall resells the ticket to another Member. This is only possible when the event is sold out and there is a waiting list.