Source des Roches
⏳ Drinking Window
Typically best enjoyed 3–8 years from the vintage release, though exceptional vintages can develop beautifully for over a decade.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Pan-seared scallops, roasted chicken with tarragon, and aged goat cheese.
✨ Technical Specifications
Hailing from the northernmost reaches of the Côte de Nuits, the Marsannay Blanc 'Source des Roches' from Domaine Bruno Clair is a masterclass in limestone-driven purity. The name 'Source des Roches' (literally 'Source of the Rocks') pays homage to the exceptionally stony, fractured limestone soils of the parcel, which force the vine roots deep into the bedrock in search of nutrients. Historically, Marsannay was famed for its rosé and red wines, but pioneers like the Clair family recognized the immense, untapped potential of its white wines. Crafted with minimal intervention, the grapes are gently pressed and fermented using native yeasts before aging in French oak barrels. This traditional approach coaxes out a brilliant tension, marrying the natural richness of the fruit with a piercing, saline minerality that reflects the rugged terroir of its origin.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1979 by Bruno Clair—grandson of Joseph Clair, pioneer of the historic Domaine Clair-Daü—this venerable Côte de Nuits estate was revitalized following the 1985 dissolution of the ancestral property. Bruno assembled choice plots across premier terroirs, expanding to roughly 25 hectares across seven villages. With holdings stretching from Marsannay and Gevrey-Chambertin down through Morey-Saint-Denis, Chambolle-Musigny, and Savigny-lès-Beaune, the domaine works predominantly over limestone-clay soils with varying gravel and marl strata. Viticulture follows strict organic and lutte raisonnée disciplines, focusing on manual tillage, low yields, and massal selections. In the cellar, vinification balances indigenous yeast fermentation, site-dependent partial whole-cluster inclusion, and restrained new oak maturation. Benchmark bottlings include the crystalline Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru, Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru, Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru Clos Saint-Jacques, and single-vineyard Marsannay expressions like Les Longeroies, all celebrated for their mineral tension, aromatic purity, and long-lived structural finesse.
🍇 Grapes
Chardonnay