Made with 50% whole clusters, from a single vineyard just under Clos Rousseau in the west of Santenay.Medium, medium-plus colour. The nose seems a red-cherry compote. Fuller with lots of interesting and intense flavour – lovely length too. A wine with a very well managed structure – excellent quality.
Olivier Antoine et Rachel
2009 Olivier Antoine et Rachel Santenay Beaurepaire
2007 Olivier Antoine et Rachel Bourgogne Pinot Noir
Medium colour. The nose has more than a hint of borderline ripe herb and slightly alcoholic top notes but there is red fruit too. On the tongue, the acidity is not too bright, though as the flavour drifts into the finish there is some lip-smacking tartness. The mid-palate flavour-dimension is actually quite nice and below the sour is just enough sweet. This isn’t a wine I’d recommend, but it is quite drinkable.
2008 Olivier Antoine et Rachel Bourgogne Chardonnay
Using a ‘Diam’ seal. Medium yellow. The nose has the faintest creamyness which hints to brioche and sherbet, but majors on sweet green-yellow fruit. There is some fat and sweetness but also a stonyness at the core. Well balanced with medium length. This is very good indeed, it doesn’t topple my benchmark 08 bourgogne, but then this is a about 25% cheaper!
2008 Olivier Antoine et Rachel Santenay Beaurepaire
Medium-plus colour. The nose starts almost too forward but slowly settles into a fine and deep expression of red and black fruits and something that almost touches on aniseed. Concentrated and certainly intense this has more padding than the villages Santenay so never hints at anything mouth-puckering. The texture is very good indeed. This premier cru essentially delivering more weight without any penalty in terms of fineness or focus. Really very accomplished.
2008 Olivier Antoine et Rachel Santenay Les Temps de C(e)rises
Medium-plus, bright cherry red colour. The soft red fruit has width and impressive depth, a faint musty/stalky element to but it’s more complexity than a negative – it is anyway gone after 30 minutes of air. Full, bright, perhaps a hint petillant to start – I’ll let it settle for a while. Settle down it does; there is depth, impressive intensity and a clarity to the fruit that you don’t always find with Santenay. The acidity is just about covered, helped by quite some velvet texture, but still gives a lip-smacking effect – better than mouth puckering I suppose. I like this a lot for it’s ebullient ‘crunchy’ fruit, but when it loses some flesh it will be more challenging. Factor in a price of just over €10 and it is an absolute winner – bravo!