Santenay
1er Cru Passetemps 2020
This is the Côte d’Or’s southernmost appellation, located just to the south of Chassagne-Montrachet …
Origin
Santenay’s vineyards stretch across 400 ha of which 123 ha are planted with Premier Cru vines, divided into 3 distinct zones.
The climat "Passetemps", located in the North of the appellation, is composed by two plots on a hillside located just below the "Clos des Mouches". and not far from the village of Chassagne-Montrachet. The vines are exposed south-east and benefit from a predominantly clay soil.
The name "Passetemps" probably comes from the fact that it was nice to spend time working on these plots.
Viticulture
Grape variety: chardonnay
Soils: mostly clay.
Orientation: East
Surface area under vine: 0.4146 ha
Pruning: Guyot system
Yield: 54 hL/ha
Average age of the vine: 55 years old.
Vinification
Harvest date: 26 August 2020.
The grapes were handpicked.
At the winery: the whole bunches of grapes were gently pressed for 2½ hours. The temperature of the must was brought down to 12°C then was immediately transferred to barrels (450L) with no settling to preserve a maximum of lees. Long fermentation using indigenous yeasts for added complexity and freshness.
Ageing
Maturation: aged for 16 months with no racking or stirring to bring out all of this wine’s minerality.
Barrels: French oak barrels that had been toasted at low temperatures for a long time to impart a subtle, delicate touch of oak were used.
Bottling
Bottling: the wine was bentonite fined and very gently filtered before being bottled using gravity in February 2022.
Number of bottles: 2,639 bottles, 75 magnums & 12 jeroboams.
Vintage
Balanced and concentrated
The harvests happened back-to-front! They began with the reds ripening before the whites. The harvest was very disease-free but we had to eliminate sunburnt berries, especially in the case of the Pinot Noir vines as the Chardonnays had coped better with the heat. Quality was definitely good, but relatively low juice yields has resulted in Pinot Noirs with high colour and aromatic intensity. On the other hand, the Chardonnay vines produced adequate yields with a good balance of sugar and acidity. This optimal ripeness enabled us to harvest the red grapes in certain plots according to the ‘vendange entière’ approach, where stalks are fermented along with the grapes.
'Lots of lovely colour in the reds, with very high polyphenol content, firm tannins and excellent levels of acidity. Looks set to be a year with great cellaring potential. Summer fruit coulis notes definitely have the upper hand in this year’s vintage! The whites are nicely-balanced, but it’s too early to be more precise. Watch this space…’ Grégory Patriat.
Ageing potential: From 8 to 15 years.
Awards
Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France 2023 - 92/100
JamesSuckling.com - 96 points
Bourgogne Aujourd'hui Magazine - 17 / 20
Tasting notes
The color is pale yellow with golden reflections. This wine reveals intense aromas of ripe peaches, acacia and some brioche notes. On the palate, the wine is very concentrated, with a nice richness, reveals a mineral finish.
