Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
Deep, rich ruby color; complex fruit nose; and bright cherry and blueberry notes. Balanced and long.
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Wine Enthusiast
Hints of oak on the nose of this wine lend a toasty cinnamon sheen to the ripe red cherry. The palate comes in with crunch and concentration, presenting firm but fine tannins while the oak adds a distinct note of tar. All is countered by the cherry fruit but needs more integration. Drink 2022–2032.
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Wine & Spirits
More about earthiness than fruit, this is a muscular Burgundy with a single red line of flavor. The tannins are gritty and powerful, the wine welling up behind them, needing bottle age to push through.
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.”
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.