Tasted with David Moreau in Santenay, 15 November 2016.
Domaine David Moreau
4 rue de la Bussière
21590 Santenay
Tel: +33 3 80 20 61 79
www.bourgogne-david-moreau.com
David on 2016:
“The 2016 Spring was a bit scary as there was lots of humidity. But we didn’t do anything different. Santenay, just the bottom near Chassagne was strongly frosted. But we had great weather for three months, ending with a little hydric stress – the 60mm rain we got in September that fixed that, but some areas still lost most of their leaves. There was certainly some mildew pressure and probably lost about 15% to that.”
David on 2015:
“In 2015 there was less stress! I think 2002 style for whites, 07 for reds. I used a little more whole-clusters to add some freshness – a positive selection of the best Bunches. Tannins are present but there’s nothing aggressive in this vintage. My cuvaisons were a little shorter with the whole-cluster cuvées.”
The wines…
“DIAM for entry wines. Brings some reduction, screwcap more fruity.”
David is a great producer, so it comes as no surprise to me that he’s really extracted the best of this vintage whilst retaining the freshness of delivery that marks out the best.
2015 Bourgogne
Racked 1 month ago, not yet bottled. This is the 3rd vintage for this wine. Hillside vines so later harvested.
A nice colour and lots of aromatic depth. Wide, some flesh, serious but layered, lovely and long like the vintage style – really very tasty, needs a little time but super length.
2015 Côte de Beaune Villages
10% new oak. An assembly of 3 parcels at the bottom of the slope between Santenay and Chassagne, including declassified Santenay villages.
A little tight but it’s a clean and appealing nose. Ooh that’s tasty, round, good volume but really attractive red fruit. Lovely fresh and floral finishing.
A mix of villages and 1er cru parcels. Some sandy granitic areas here with clay and silex. The oldest vines from 1943-47.
Wide, fresh and very lovely – faintly but very invitingly fruited. Nice volume, floral fruit, some extra tannin. Lovely energy and mouth-watering flavour. Excellent in the finish too. Super wine!
Two parcels, one in Les Cornières (mainly) and one smaller one in Les Charmes – lots of millerandes in these parcels.
A deeper nose, slightly darker fruit – faint spice – lovely. A little more fat, a little more depth of flavour too. Simply delicious, and then an extra mouth-watering burst of flavour before the long, slow, tasty finish – also bravo!
2015 Santenay 1er Beauregard
This, for the first time with David’s label, a plot on marne with clay.
Higher tones on this nose – more overt and with more impact – faintly spicy and very inviting. Fuller, a little rounder but with super mid-palate transparency of flavour. This is truly excellent, but it will require more time. Some slighter bitter aspects in the finish – oak probably – but a little necessary time for that to fade, and voila!
Lots of millerandes too. 36 hl/ha
A wide palate, clean beautiful fruit, a suggestion of menthol here too. Again a little more depth of flavour – fine texture then a little modest tannin – really a super difference in the finish – big, beautifully flavoured and long. Bravo!y
Narrower but deep, dark fine fruit here. A little extra freshness, the action really starting in the mid-palate – fresh, delicious flavour. There’s a hint more tannin, but also much more mouth-watering flavour in the finish – long and super! Different, not better than Clos Rousseau.
Les blancs…
2015 Bourgogne Aligoté
Entry of Santenay, planted end of 1990s deep soul but good vigour. Bottled 3 weeks ago. Tank 80% old barrel the rest.
Deep nose, some pear fruit I think. Bright, fresh and detailed – this is very good. Delicious and fresh finishing too. Super tasty!
2015 Santenay
1 parcel, enough for 1k bottle near the border of chassagne and always one of the first to be harvested due to the very small berries – courte-noué.
A nice weight of aroma, seemingly a ripe core but it’s quite tight. Mineral. And with nice freshness indeed a growing tension – I vacillate between ‘not sure’ to ‘very fine!’ Yum!
2015 Santenay 1er Beaurepaire Blanc
Wore weight and width of fresh aroma – almost a hint of spice. Grows in the mouth, faintly reduced, a growing citrus and agrume. More mineral, slowly mouth-watering. Also starts just a hint discreet, but finishes excellently. Super.