Volnay Santenots – du Pavillon (Bichot)

Update 25.5.2016(24.5.2016)billn

DSC09610Tasted in Beaune with Christophe Chauvel, 02 March 2016.

Red soil here next to Plures, here Pierre Morey has Meursault from Durots, but apparently he prefers it in red saying that the white from here is a little heavy. Here you have the feeling you are in Meursault, not Volnay.

Normal production here is 4-6 barrels… all bio, though this parcel has always been ploughed. Roughly 40+ years of average vine age in this 0.2872 hectare plot. The grapes from here are mainly destemmed, but usually 10-15% whole clusters are retained – a little more in 2015…

The volumes are slowly decreasing here, and that’s not just due to hail; normal mortality is 1-2%, but that’s still 100 plants per hectare, points out Christophe. Pruning with the Guyot simple method is a little mutilating, so really not ideal for esca or similar maladies. 10-20 years of age seems the danger period, after 20 years of age, problems are less seen. I discussed a little the pruning with Christophe, here they are now using the Guyot-Pousard, which brakes the vigour a little, and is considered less ’mutilating.’

The wines…

2014 – Tasted in December – All these wines medium-plus colour.

Christophe Chauvel: “Our Santenots is always a pleasure to vinify – it’s a small parcel but emblematic of Domaine du Pavillon and exemplifies the style that we like to produce…”

2013
It starts a deep and tight nose, but swirling lifts a floral red fruit – rather dense but still appealing. Mouth-filling, round, there is structure below but also an energy that brings complexity and interest, not density. The finish is the best part, there is finesse, complexity and length – really much to wait for here – super potential if a little tight today.

2012
This nose has a few higher tones from the start – really a pleasing blend of fruit and flow – very attractive. Wide, insinuating, fabulously engaging wine. Also not the most open, but the flavours flow wonderfully over and around the palate – it’s a more direct wine, a hint more structure showing a base of discreet be finely grained tannin. At least as long, probably longer than the 13, here I mildly prefer the finishing flavour of the 13, but the rest is today bettered by the 12. Two equally impressive wines.

2011
This begins with some reduction. This is mouth-filling, but without the overt density of the 13, but surprisingly (to me) not unlike the 12 – I find more precision in the 12 – at least while the reduction hangs around. A little salinity at the edge. I work hard to get rid of the reduction decanting back and forth between two glasses – the nose begins to clear, and I have the impression that there is a fine bass and high-tones too. The tannin is a little more present, but with fine grain and no dryness. – slowly the fruit sweetly melts over the palate. This seems to me potentially the best wine of the three for drinking today, silky in the finish and very tasting, almost enveloping – fine finishing flavour.

Agree? Disagree? Anything you'd like to add?

Burgundy Report

Translate »

You are using an outdated browser. Please update your browser to view this website correctly: https://browsehappy.com/;