2019 Domaine Bruno Clair "Le Centenaire" Marsannay Rose

100 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF BURGUNDY'S MOST ICONIC ROSÉ
In 1919, Joseph Clair made his first rose after returning home from World War I. His family's domaine, Clair-Dau became one of the most celebrated in Burgundy, farming land across the Cotes de Nuits. Over the years, family strife changed the tenor of the winery. As land passed between generations, parcels were hacked off and sold, a little Vosne-Romanee to Jadot, a long-term lease on Bonnes Mares, and so on. Today, grandson Bruno Clair carries on his grandfather's tradition on a fraction of the land mostly held in Marsannay. But if it feels like an exile from old family holdings, it's somewhat of an exile in paradise. Clair and his winemaker Phillippe Brun are affectionately known as the "Batman and Robin" of Marsannay. The consistently bottle the benchmark wines from the village as well as a handful of excellent wines from the rest of the Cotes de Nuits. This special-label 100th anniversary bottling celebrates the domaine's lineage with a blissfully pure Pinot Noir rose. Strawberry bonbon, crunchy green herbs and watermelon rind define the racy but well-rounded palate. A well deserved celebration from one of Burgundy's most persistent family domaines.