Tasted in Santenay with Antoine Olivier, 08 November 2018.
Domaine Antoine Olivier
5 rue Gaudin
21590 Santenay, France
Tel: +33 (0)3 80 20 61 35
www.antoineolivier.wine
Antoine on 2018:
“2018 – just look, I have some barrels! My biggest harvest ever! Actually we have changed how we buy grapes, the work and farming done buy us then buying the grapes, we always buy by surface, not kilos of grapes so this year we have 934 hl – the average before was 750 – both red and white are higher. It’s our first complete white harvest since 2008 but it’s not the greatest vintage, though the reds have balance even if they are not particularly Burgundian right now – honestly, it’s a great vintage for business.”
Antoine on 2017:
“2017 is also a great business vintage as we are now starting to sell it! Relatively medium quantity for reds, pure and elegant beautiful pinot, I like aging my red wines but this is a fresh vintage with correct fruit and acidity, a vintage for impatient people. But to age I think it will be much more interesting for the whites – traditional whites of acidity in tension.”
The wines…
I think I wrote vibrant and delicious far too many times – be warned!
Antoine says that he has no choice but to bottle his reds before Christmas as he has nothing to sell.
2017 Bourgogne Pinot Noir
All from Santenay
A vibrant if slightly meaty nose – wide and fresh. Supple, depth of tasty flavour, easy and tasty wine until a super lift in the finish.
2017 Santenay Temps des (Ce)Rises
Half domaine grapes and others from friends – six plots, this year all destemmed, 12 months in barrel. Filtered three weeks ago, one-third whole bunch, didn’t feel the need to change vinification much.
Fresher, purer, depth of aroma, very inviting. More depth, freshness, a little tannin, layers of good flavour. Always an easy recommendation this wine – excellent!
2017 Santenay les Charmes
This all whole bunch, all Chassin barrels.
Narrower but with a pretty depth of concentrated, fresh fruit. A modest base of tannin, good volume and freshness – vibrant tasty fruit in the finish – really excellent.
2017 Santenay 1er Beaurepaire
60% wc.
Vibrant , whole-cluster spice, nice. A little more energy, delicious fine flavour. Long, mouth-watering, simply delicious wine.
2017 Savigny-lès-Beaune
30-40% wc
More depth, less width, some Savigny herb. Bright, fresh, herbed red fruit, more tannin. Whilst I love the finishing energy and intensity, I prefer the Santenays.
All wc
Ooh this has a lovely depth and floral character – no herb. Floral in the mouth, layered – ooh that’s great – I normally prefer the white from this vineyard but this is so easy to recommend- bravo!
2017 Pommard
Deeper, spiced, only slowly opening. Fresh, tasty wine – structural volume, but from a tannin perspective. Great finishing – more contemplative than the last but the Peuillets is my chou-chou today.
Les Blancs…
Have been using DIAM for some whites here since 2005 -50% – “The cork closures here are not dead, but some vintages are getting close, but the DIAMs are fine.”
2017 Bourgogne Aligoté Oublié le Cassis.
A complex origin, some from Rully, some from Santenay and Mercurey. All pressed and then vinified in 350 litre barrels
A bright nose, lovely energy, not quite ready though. Ooh direct, plenty of drive and acidity, long. This is going to be great fun!
2017 Bourgogne Blanc
Almost all from Mâcon – Mainly Peronne, big barrels
Nice volume – lovely energy. Fresh, like most, fine energy, lovely wine…
Grapes from Verzé
Hmm wide and lovely energy again. More mineral, lovely waves of flavour. Great bourgogne bravo.
2017 Rully St.Jacques
Deep, faintly reductive. Bigger, fresh, a big tsunami of flavour. Very citric and mouth-watering. Plenty of finishing density too. Yum…
2017 Santenay Clos de Champs Carafe
Hmm a more citrus fruit-forward nose, more lime or fresher lemon. Vibrant (again!) narrower but very tasty finishing. Delicious again.
“I think this tastes like the 15 with just a less aggressive acidity”
Hmm, a fresh nose with a little biscuity reduction. Big, bright, rounder, lip-smacking, mineral and saline, finishing with a touch of oak. Simply a beauty.
A beautiful nose, complex, fine, so inviting. Lithe, long, still relaxes over the palate, rich but not fat, touch of oak right on the end of the palate. Bravo!