Winemaker Notes
Medium-bodied with impressive length and persistence. The 2017 vintage is ideal for near term drinking, full of vim, vigor and charm. Try this gem with a herb roasted chicken, a garlic pork roast, or broiled swordfish.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Nicolas Potel has done an impressive job with his domaine reds and whites in 2017, balancing the bouncy fruit sweetness of the vintage with freshness and acidity. This alluringly perfumed Pinot is light, sappy and racy, with redcurrant and raspberry fruit and just a hint of oak.
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Wine Spectator
This round red evokes plum, black cherry, spice and sandalwood flavors, with a solid, well-integrated structure. Earth and iron accents peek through as this winds down on the lingering finish. Best from 2022 through 2033.
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Wine & Spirits
From 2.5 acres of 65-year-old vines, this Savigny is gentle and brisk. Its quiet red fruit comes off as shy at the moment, hidden within the clean line of tannins, reading as red licorice. Give it a year or two to emerge more fully, then serve with a grilled tuna steak.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2017 Domaine de Bellene Savigny-Les-Beaune Vieilles Vignes is smooth on the palate. TASTING NOTES: This wine exhibits aromas and flavors of spice, sandalwood, and black fruit. Enjoy with a grilled ribeye. (Tasted: May 9, 2022, San Francisco, CA)
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
Savigny-lès-Beaune is a small village near Beaune that produces delightful red and white wines under its own appellation name. Cut by a river, the vineyards on its southern side have sandy soils that result in charming, floral reds. Premiers Crus vineyards on this side include Les Peuillets, Les Narbantons, Les Rouvrettes and Les Marconnets.
On Savigny’s northern side, bordering Pernand-Vergelles, vineyards are planted on rocky soils and produce juicy and spicy Pinot Noir. The village’s best whites, all made of Chardonnay, are full on the palate and abound in texture, complexity and freshness.