Tasted in Santenay with Megan McClune & William Waterkeyn, 06 November 2020.

Domaine Jessiaume
10 Rue de la Gare
21590 Santenay
Tel: +33 3 80 20 60 03
www.jessiaume.com
More reports on Domaine Jessiaume

There are new owners here – the previous Scottish ownership exchanged for a Parisian who bought the domaine in August. Apparently a long-time fan of burgundy wine, a biochemist originally.
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William on 2020:
I think we can be happy here at the domaine in Santenay – we didn’t see any blockage of maturity or the drying of the grapes which we saw in much of the Côte d’Or – we did have a bit more rain than most parts which helped us average 40 Hl/ha – nice degrees with good acidity too – and no issues with vinifications either so happy. Our Beaune Cent Vignes was a bit less good versus the grapes in Santenay but we have good roots due to our time in biodynamics so the volume was still quite good. The harvest was roughly a normal length as the maturities weren’t blocked anywhere.

William on 2019:
A little more complicated – still quite an easy vintage in the vines, but fermentations were often quite slow in the reds – so more stress in the cuverie than in the vineyards. In the end, I think a style that’s quite Burgundian with a more present acidity and a little less solaire than in 2018. It was more sportif!

The wines…

Nothing in excess, purity of fruit, a semi-elegant style – but so drinkable and enjoyable. A great selection of reds and properly Burgundian in their clarity of fruit!

2016 Bourgogne Pinot Noir
Some from the commune of Volnay and Côtes Couchios – so no Côte d’Or label.
That’s a very attractive nose of red berry fruit, developing a more overt cherry. Silky, nicely direct, lovely acidity – hmm -that’s really a delicious wine with just the right amount of structure to say – ‘wait 6 months’ – you will anyway have to – it’s not yet bottled! A delicious finish with a little tannin-bitters. Lovely.

2019 Auxey-Duresses
In Les Eccuseaux
A little paler colour. A wider, meatier aroma. Bright, incisive, lovely in the mouth – that’s really excellent – the nose still needs a little work but the palate is top-notch!

2019 Auxey-Duresses 1er Eccuseaux
Vine next to those above.
A finer, darker-fruited nose – a good invitation. A little more punch to this flavour, a little more structure too – but essentially the same open, mouth-watering shape of the villages. You should wait just a little longer to drink this but, honestly, it would be no crime to drink it already!

2019 Santenay 1er La Comme
A little less colour. A redder fruit, plenty of depth. In the mouth, wider and with a certain fresh concentration, but also redder-fruited than the village. Completely delicious, almost ‘easier’ wine. Long and satisfying…

2019 Santenay 1er Gravieres​
Here a little wc in the ferment here.
A deeper colour, a little wc and red fruit too. Direct, a little narrower, more mouth-watering. A wine with another, higher, level of structure but also complexity too. All is well-balanced and will provide a delicious wine in 2-3 years…

2019 Volnay
Low-slope but Brouillards plus some Grand Poisots
A gorgeous nose – such clarity of fruit. In the mouth, it’s incisive, wide and so mouth-watering. Framed with a modest tannin you should wait, but not too long… Excellent villages!

2019 Pommard
In Combottes, south Pommard – meagre soil, so not a lot of grapes in the last hotter vintages.
Not a strong colour. A more floral width of aroma. Nice shape in the mouth, quite airy, a little touch of barrel cream too. Very tasty but don’t come here if you’re looking for powerful, or classic Pommard – this is all grace and easiness, but with good length in the finish…

2019 Volnay 1er Brouillards
A more compact nose – but not losing its freshness. The structure providing a fine framework for this wine, young structure and fruit – this is properly put together wine, and at least a medium-term wine – but all is in place – excellent!

2019 Beaune 1er Cent Vignes​
Modest colour but the nose has plenty of weight and width – creamy red-fruited – fine detail here. Wide, open but with modest structure and finely mouth-watering flavours. Fine indeed…

Les blancs:

2019 Bourgogne Chardonnay​
From Santenay and ‘north Chalonnaise’
A good nose, of depth and a slight vibration – the vibration coming from a little gas. Ripe pineapple but energy too. Really mouth-watering in a citrus/pineapple style – classically for 2019 touched by that finishing tannin.

2019 Santenay Blanc
A parcel in Combe St.Jean, in the direction the three crosses exposed directly to the east.
A little energy to this nose, faintly herbed. Bubbling with complexity and a ripe citrus flavour. I particularly like the direct line of mouth-watering citrus flavour in the finish. Delicious again…

2019 Santenay 1er Gravières Blanc
From two parcels, one lower, one higher.​
Ooh – now that’s very nice, deep nose – reduction? Not obviously so. Mineral, complex citrus too – and that’s only the nose. A faint touch of gas. More generous, rounder flavour than the villages wine, wide finishing with good energy as a foil to the riper agrume fruit. Very good wine…

2019 Auxey-Duresses 1er Eccuseaux Blanc
Nice width of finely spiced fresh agrume here – lovely. A touch of gas again but clearly a wine with extra energy and drive. Touched by a little barrel today – but that’s probably gone within 12 months. I love the mouth-watering finish here – that’s a great Auxey and excellent wine in general…

2019 Corton-Charlemagne
Bought in must, vines 50 metres from the cross of Charlemagne.
Energetic and wide – there’s aromatic character here, that’s for sure. Bubbling with energy, not overtly concentrated but there’s class and plenty of depth to the flavour. The finish is a great one – so complex and long.