Skip to main content

Notes from a Santenay Tasting and Seminar

Last week at the Texas Wine School, Guy Stout shared his knowledge with Houston wine professionals on the village appellation of Santenay located in the Côte de Beaune growing area in Bourgogne, also known as the Burgundy wine region of France.

Santenay is situated in the southern portion of the Côte de Beaune on limestone based soils which receive ideal morning sun exposure. The area primarily produces well structured red wines from Pinot Noir but they also produce some elegant white wine from Chardonnay as well.

Santenay earned AOC status in 1937. Wine wasn't the only liquid of interest at the time, a hot springs spa was a major attraction in the area until 1998 when it was closed. The wines of the region, however, have maintained their attraction through their reputation for quality and charm.

There are twelve Premiers Crus Climats within the Santenay appellation. In Bourgogne, Climats are plots of land that have been delimited by winemakers for generations, some as far back as the 7th century. Unfortunately, we did not get to taste them all. The sample we did enjoy, however, has inspired me to seek more wines from Santenay in the near future.

The wines:

Santenay "Clos de Malte" by Maison Louis Jadot 2013 - This white wine was sourced from a seven hectare Monopole vineyard on the foot of the Montagne des Troix Croix of which only one hectare is devoted to Chardonnay. From a vintage that Stout described as "lean, for both production and style", the wine was dry with a medium body and medium plus acidity with fruity aromas and flavors of green apple and yellow plum, a nutty nuance with a bit of tartness in the fresh finish. "I like it," pronounced Stout.

Santenay 1er Cru Clos des Gravières by Domaine Bachey-Legros 2015 - From a highly respected premier cru vineyard site for red wines, this white wine was aromatically interesting with a slight musty earthiness combined with fruity meyer lemon and yellow plum flavor. Dry, rounder with medium acidity, a slightly chewy texture and juicy citrus in the lingering mineral-laced finish.

Santenay by Domaine Jacques Bavard 2014 - Stout called this village level red "a classic Pinot Noir" from it's bright ruby color to its cherry, cranberry and forest floor aromas and flavors. Dry with medium acidity and moderate tannins, Stout said this wine was both "simple and easy to enjoy."


Santenay 1er Cru Gravières by Domaine Jessiaume 2014 - Bright floral aromas with juicy cherry and pomegranate flavors, dry, medium bodied with moderate tannins and medium+ acidity, Stout referred to this wine as "a gazelle that was ready to run".

Santenay 1er Cru Clos Rousseau by Domaine Jean-Claude Regnaudot et Fils - Stout sniffed, swirled and tasted this wine and announced to the group, "It's going to be hard to move past this one!" Bright aromas of ripe Bing cherries and forest floor, dry, medium bodied, medium+ chewy tannins and medium+ acidity with juicy plum and cherry flavors with a truffled savory note in the finish.

Santenay 1er Cru Maladière by Domaine Lucien Muzard et Fils - Less youthful seeming than the previous wines from the slight orangish tint to the rim to the slightly oxidized note on the nose but equally elegant. Aromas and flavors of cranberries, truffles and forest floor with a medium body and medium acidity and tannins, this dry red also has a touch of spiciness in the finish.

Sophisticated, energetic and full of character; the wines from this tasting are all highly recommended.

Wines tasted on May 29, 2017

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

An Immersive Introduction into the World of Asolo Prosecco

Dinner Views at Osteria Alla Baracca. I was very excited to visit the Asolo DOCG Prosecco region at the end of May on a press trip as it is an Italian area that I have not previously traveled through. Asolo is located in the Province of Treviso at the foot of Monte Grappa in the high hills to the west of the Piave River with views of the Dolomites. The grapes are grown in 17 communes surrounding the town of Asolo. The days were very warm while I was there but I needed a sweater or light jacket on most evenings due to the diurnal swing that makes it a great area for grape growing. Wines from the Master Class Tasting. Asolo was elevated to the DOCG level in 2009. The majority of the Prosecco that I have found in Houston is Prosecco DOC which is mostly from very large producers. Asolo was separated from this category and the region was given this higher status because there are terroir elements that make it distinctive in the world of Prosecco. The Sant'Anna Vineyard. Many of the vin

Lunch at Cépage paired with Paso Robles Sparkling Wine

Cépage is the elegant new restaurant inside of the recently refurbished Paris Valley Road Estate & Winery Tasting Room. Cépage opened in 2022 and currently serves lunch and weekend brunch. Paris Valley Estate is a fairly new brand that is named after the two lane road in Monterey County where the owners, the Stoller family, planted their first vineyard over 20 years ago. The new name inspired them to renovate the former Arciero Winery in the opulent style of French Grand Cru domaines they had previously visited, explained winemaker, Doug Hidinger. I was visiting on a rainy day so I did not get to tour the grounds or take many outside pictures, unfortunately. The table was set and ready upon arrival. Hidinger was at lunch to present both the Paris Valley Road Sparkling Wine 2019 and the Sextant Edna Valley Sparkling Wine 2012 from a sister property of Paris Valley Road. Owner/Winemaker of Vino Vargas , Pedro Vargas, was also there to present his three sparkling wines. All of these

Tasting Collavini

On a recent zoom tasting with Collavini owner, Luigi Collavini, I was able to taste six of the top selling wines from the Eugenio Collavini collection. Collavini winery is located in Corno di Rosazzo in the Collio DOC appellation, this area is a highly regarded part of Friuli. The winery is near the border with Slovenia is the area where the hillside slopes become steeper and the cooling Bora wind helps maintain the grapes natural acidity.  Luigi Collavini shared that the mountains were still white with snow and the shimmering sea could be seen below the flatlands. The winery is located 50 kilometers from the mountains and 30 kilometers from the sea so both influence the winery’s terroir. He stated that the cold north winds give the wines freshness and accent the minerality while the warm winds from the south increase the size of the grapes and the volume of wine produced as well as the grapes’ sugar level and, therefore, alcohol content.  The history of the land begins millions of yea