The Santenay Premier Cru Blanc are only made with Chardonnay grapes.
- Density 10 000 feet/ha.
- Guyot pruning method.
- Manual harvest.
- Yields of 45 hl/ha.
- Pale gold yellow colour with green reflects.
- The bouquet is very elegant offering aromas of white flowers and mineral notes, delicately woody.
- On the palate, this is a lively and fresh wine with nice structure and delicate flavors: fruity (citrus), flowery (acacia) and mineral notes. A very racy wine, refined, well balanced and rich with a very long persistancy.
It is perfect for grilled or smoked salmon and also delicious as an aperitif.
Serve at a temperature of 14 °C. (57°F.).
This wine can be opened now or kept in the cellar for 3 years.
In the southern part of the Côte de Beaune, surrounding the villages of Santenay. The « appellation of origin » was attributed in 1937 and consists of 12 « climats » classified as Premier Crus.
- Grey limestone soil.
- Varied slopes with an often pronounced inclination.
- Southern and South-Eastern exposure.
- Altitude of 190-380 meters.
100% handmade harvest. At their arrival in the cellar, the grapes are immediately pressed (moderate pressure 0.2 bars to extract the best juices). They are settled in thermo regulated stainless steel tank during 12 hours.
A racking separate the bad lies to the clear juices. These juices are then placed in barrels to be fermented. Using selected yeast, no chaptalization. Maturing process 100% in barrel (40% new one) during 13 months.
After three difficult years, the start of the 2014 vintage remained just as challenging for winemakers, but surprisingly nice weather conditions paired with the winemakers' expertise allowed for a bountiful harvest and a promising vintage in terms of quality.
First, a warm and dry spring, which benefited the vines and preserved their good sanitary condition, led us to expect an abundant and early harvest. However, the harvest's expected volume was affected by a few occurrences of "coulure" (failure of grapes to develop after flowering).
Unfortunately, Mother Nature, along with variable weather conditions, put a damper on these positive perspectives in nearly all of France's winemaking regions.
Unlucky once again, Burgundy was hit by a horrible hailstorm on the 28th of June in the Côte de Beaune, which decimated - for the third consecutive year - the vineyards of Beaune, Pommard, and Volnay; nearby villages and a part of the vines in Côte de Nuits next to Vosne-Romanée also having been affected.
The summer was characterized by an absence of sunshine, so much so that the head start acquired at the beginning of the cycle was no longer relevant. A regular rain pattern settled in during July and August, postponing the onset of ripening which usually takes place by the end of July and beginning of August, and fueling the development of various diseases - oidium in southern France and mildew in the northern half.
Thankfully by August 20th, and with the changing phase of the moon, a miracle came - along with the return of beautiful weather. The sun, and the northern wind, made its appearance in the first days of September. This created ideal conditions for optimal maturation of the grapes and maintained their good sanitary condition.
In mid-September, the winemakers regained their optimism and the harvest began under the sun's warm rays. The harvested grapes already fulfilled some of their early promises by showing very nice balance and exhibiting intense colors. The vatting process took place unhindered and the alcoholic fermentation began spontaneously. The start of autumn, very mild, allowed for the malolactic fermentations to trigger quickly.
The 2014 vintage appears very promising and the volumes were relatively good, even if they do not quite compensate for the lack of quantity.
PDF file