Marsannay was Burgundy's best-kept secret for years, and Clos du Roy is one of its most distinguished lieux-dits — a south-facing slope at the northern gate of the Cote de Nuits whose name ("the King's enclosure") reflects its historical status. Bernard Bouvier, who took the reins from his father Rene, is the village's most committed champion, farming old vines here that deliver the kind of mineral cut and red-fruited precision you'd expect from neighbors a few villages south — at a fraction of the freight. The Vieilles Vignes designation isn't marketing: these are gnarled parcels rooted deep in the Clos's limestone, and the wine shows it with savory grip and serious length. Drink now with a decant, or hold a few years for the secondary notes to bloom.