“80% whole bunch as pinot droit which needs some destemming. Cheerful deep crimson purple, Bouncing vibrant full fleshy fruit, not quite the nobility of his very best, but respectful of the clay bench of Santenots. Richer rather than finer. 90-93pts.”
Jasper Morris.
The “Les Santenots” climat is located in the northern part of Meursault facing South-East, next to Volnay in the lower part of the village. This climat* is classified as a Volnay 1er Cru for red and as a Meursault 1er Cru for white. The Volnay 1er Cru “Les Santenots” is harvested by hand and the grapes are sorted in the vineyard on the vine. When the grapes arrive at the winery they all go on the sorting table to refine the sorting. The grapes are then fully destemmed and brought gently into the stainless steel vat for alcoholic fermentation. There is no cap punching* and the extraction of the tannins, colours and flavours happens within the three weeks of the vatting period and some pumping overs. After the wine is pumped into oak barrels (30% new), it undergoes a fifteen months maturation before bottling.
This wine is a beautiful 1er Cru, very feminine in style, with plenty of silky tannins. The mouthfeel is complex, with some earthy flavours and a long finish. It will take three to four years to be at its peak. However, if you decant it for 45 minutes before serving, it will help the wine open up. The ageing potential is long, around 10 to 12 years.
