Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jasper Morris
This wine was only partially aged in barrel, the rest in earthenware jars and glass globes. Pale lemon colour. A slatey, graphite perhaps even gravelly nose – Olivier notes that there is white gravel in the topsoil. It takes time for the fruit to emerge behind, then the wine really builds on the palate with a depth of character over and above the others. A fine long finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2020 Santenay premier Cru Clos des Gravieres is one of the sleepers of the Lamy range, and its quality in this vintage is exceptional. Revealing aromas of pear, orange oil, white flowers and freshly baked bread, it's medium to full-bodied, seamless and satiny, with a fleshy core of fruit, racy acids and a saline finish. It's matured in a mix of barrels, wine globes and ceramic vessels, which seems to work well.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
In the far southern end of the Côte de Beaune, Santenay forms a little notch that juts into the otherwise straight border with Côte Chalonnaise.
Santenay red wines show the true essence of red Burgundy at good price points and without demanding a lot of cellar time. Enticing aromas of rose-petal, violet, red fruits and licorice lead to sturdiness on the palate. With soils rich in oolitic limestone and marl, this is the home of well-constructed, hearty Pinot noir and represents a fantastic region to explore if you are just beginning your understanding of red Burgundy.
Reputable vineyards of Santenay include La Maladière, as well as the Premier Crus of La Comme, Clos de Tavannes, and Les Gravières.