Lots of aromatic depth. Fine tannin and very good acidity – though not the flavour impact that the nose suggests. Long finishing. A structured wine to wait a couple of years (or much longer) for.
Santenay Comme
2008 Belland Roger Santenay Comme
2007 Boisset Jean-Claude Santenay Comme
2006 Belland Roger Santenay Comme
2005 Belland Roger Santenay Comme
A cork amalgum seal. Richly coloured. A super nose – immediately dark and wide with a faint twist of dark oak, then in an instant has lovely red-edged fruit and a dried cranberry note – yum. The palate is actually much more acid-forward than when tasted in November – it’s a harder drink now. I chose to leave it stoppered for 2 days (actually I didn’t plan 2 days, but I was ‘out’ the following night!); on the third day the aromatics still deliver with just a hint of lactic but very nice – more importantly the balance on the tongue has improved a lot. This was a good buy, but will really need at least 8-10 years of slumber.
1996 Belland Jean-Claude Santenay Comme
Medium-plus ruby-red colour. The nose starts with a fine berry/raspberry note, set against a deeper brooding background – lovely – shame then that after 30 minutes you are left only with the brooding background! The palate itself is fresh and like very many of the lower appellation wines from this vintage, it is defined mainly by it’s acidity. Overall the tannin is hidden but the palate is linear and narrow, concentrated for all that but surprisingly primary. Length is almost good. Overall there is little here to suggest that it’s 11 years since the vintage. I wonder if/when it will ever open out – one more bottle remains – so I’ll give it one more chance, age 15, but I wouldn’t buy more.
2005 Belland Roger Santenay Comme
1999 Belland Jean-Claude Santenay Comme
Deep colour – actually there’s still just the merest hint of cherry-red at the rim. The reticent nose is rather brooding, alternately showing some lovely pure blackcurrant fruit then a rather more mineral note – not unlike the graphite of a Paulliac, perhaps hints of licorice too. Very well textured – you really have to roll the wine around your mouth to find the tannins as they still have plenty of dark fruit coverage – faint grain can be found eventually. There’s real concentration here and quite a burst on the mid-palate too. The acidity is just right, only on the finish does this wine hint at its origins – medium-plus length at best. This wine delivers much more than I expected, and in a very understated way – it probably requires at least 3-5 years more in the cellar – but this bottle was far from sacrificed.
2004 Boisset Jean-Claude Santenay Comme
From 60 year-old vines that were harvested quite late – 5th October – at 14° for a mere 20 hl/ha. The elevage was done in 1 year-old barrels, no fining or filtration before bottling. Medium-plus colour. Aromatically wide and high-toned, some slightly earthy tones against a sweet background. Super depth to the fruit once you reach the mid-palate, set against plenty of structure. No fat here, rather a well muscled boxer in stance.