Santenay

The vineyards of Santenay and Santenay Premier Cru are planted on a terroir of grayish limestone soils at the top of the slopes, up to an altitude of 500 meters. Descending the slope, the soils are composed of oolitic limestone, white oolite, marl and limestone chips, lower oolite on a marly level up to an altitude of 300 meters. Santenay's vines are perfectly exposed from east to south. 

Visit Santenay wine and Santenay Premier Cru is overwhelmingly a red wine made from Pinot Noir grapes. Its mauve-purple, black cherry color, usually deep, shines brightly. The bouquet is reminiscent of rose petals, peony, violets and red fruit, with a hint of licorice. On the palate, the attack is intense and deep. Firm, discreet tannins make up a supple, well-structured body with a very fine texture. Produced in smaller quantities, the Santenay white wines are made exclusively from Chardonnay. Domaine Roger Belland, like Domaine Chanson Père et Fils perfectly express the finesse of the terroir in their wines. Santenay wine.

Santenay, a Burgundy AOC to discover for the aromatic quality of its wines

The Santenay vineyards are located in BurgundySantenay is located in the southern part of the Côte de Beaune, between the Côte-d'Or and Saône-et-Loire departments. Santenay has been an appellation d'origine contrôlée since 1937. 12 climats (or lieux-dits) benefit from the Santenay 1er cru appellation, while the others are classified as Santenay Village. The Santenay vineyard covers 330 hectares, on terroirs composed mainly of limestone and marl. It rises between 300 and 500 meters above sea level, with a south-facing slope. 

Around 90% of the appellation's wines are made from red grapes, and 10% from white. Santenay is made from two dominant grape varieties: pinot noir (for red wines) and chardonnay (for white wines).

Characteristics of Santenay

To the eye

Santenay red has a beautiful purple color (black cherry or purplish ruby). White Santenay is a bright, clear straw yellow.

On the nose

Santenay red reveals the typical Pinot Noir aromas of red fruits (raspberry, redcurrant and blueberry). It then reveals spicier notes (pepper, cinnamon), with floral (violet) or aromatic (mint and licorice) nuances. Santenay blanc, meanwhile, expresses itself through aromas of white flowers and citrus fruit, very characteristic of Chardonnay, finishing with notes of almond and toast.

In the mouth

Santenay red reveals round, fruity notes. Full-bodied and structured, it is a good wine for laying down. In white, Santenay expresses notes of hazelnut and fern. It can be vigorous and full-bodied on the palate.

Santenay's premier crus

The Santenay appellation, covering some 330 hectares, includes 12 climats (or lieux-dits) classified as premier crus. Clos de Tavannes is a Premier Cru vineyard at the northern end of the village of Santenay. It is one of the appellation's finest premier crus. Given its relatively small size compared with the rest of the appellation's vineyards, Clos de Tavannes wines are highly sought-after. Essentially made from Pinot Noir grapes, they offer a fine tannic structure, with spicy, fruity aromas. 

Elegant and structured, the wines of Santenay premiers crus, like the Clos de Tavannes 2017, offer a fine balance between aromatic suppleness and tannic structure.

Food and wine pairing

Santenay red goes wonderfully well with meat dishes such as roast veal, duck with green pepper, coq au vin and game. With a cheese platter, it goes well with morbier, pont-l'évêque or chaource. Serving temperature: 15°. 

White Santenay goes well with fish dishes (such as trout with almonds) and seafood. Serving temperature: between 11 and 12°. 

Accessible and fruity, Santenay wines are to be discovered for their aromatic quality and evolutionary potential.