Savigny-Lès-Beaune
1er Cru Aux Serpentières 2020
Balance and maturity are the words that come to mind when one evokes the vineyard of Savigny, three kilometers north of Beaune.
Origin
Savigny’s vineyards form a V-shape and are located at the meeting place of a valley and the plain, offering some of the most picturesque scenery in the Côte d’Or. These vineyards are of ancient lineage. For much of their history, they belonged to the domaine of the Dukes of Bourgogne, to neighbouring religious houses, or to the Knights of Malta. An imposing 14th century castle testifies to the appellation's aristocratic qualifications.
This climat is exposed full south. It was formerly called "les serpentines" from the name of a grass snake species. But this place name could also designate paths that "snaked" through the vines, at the time when they were planted "en foule" (in a mass) and not in straight rows. These paths would have been compared to serpents and been given this name thanks to this metaphor!
Viticulture
Grape variety: pinot noir
Soils: stony with some red clays.
Orientation: South
Surface area under vine: 0.2193 ha
Pruning: Guyot system
Yield: 48 hL/ha
Average age of the vines: 71 years old.
Vinification
Harvest date: 27 August 2020.
The grapes were sorted a first time in the vineyard and a second time on the sorting table when they arrived at the winery.
At the winery: the grapes were 50% destemmed but not crushed (they were left whole) and were gravity-fed into tanks. Maceration with 50% whole bunches of 17 days including 3 days cold (12 ° C): Fermentation used indigenous yeasts only (no additives such as enzymes or tannins were used). Vinification without sulfur. 3 punchings of the cap.
Ageing
Maturation: aged on the lees for 12 months with no racking using a proportion of 44% new French oak barrels.
Barrels: French oak barrels that had been toasted at low temperatures for a long time for very delicate oaking.
Bottling
Bottling in December 2021, the wine was very gently filtered before being bottled using gravity.
Number of bottles: 1,405.
Vintage
Balanced and concentrated
The harvests happened back-to-front! They began with the reds ripening before the whites. The harvest was very disease-free but we had to eliminate sunburnt berries, especially in the case of the Pinot Noir vines as the Chardonnays had coped better with the heat. Quality was definitely good, but relatively low juice yields has resulted in Pinot Noirs with high colour and aromatic intensity. On the other hand, the Chardonnay vines produced adequate yields with a good balance of sugar and acidity. This optimal ripeness enabled us to harvest the red grapes in certain plots according to the ‘vendange entière’ approach, where stalks are fermented along with the grapes.
'Lots of lovely colour in the reds, with very high polyphenol content, firm tannins and excellent levels of acidity. Looks set to be a year with great cellaring potential. Summer fruit coulis notes definitely have the upper hand in this year’s vintage! The whites are nicely-balanced, but it’s too early to be more precise. Watch this space…’ Grégory Patriat.
Ageing potential: From 7 to 12 years.
Tasting notes
The color is dark red. The nose reveals intense aromas of jammy red fruits, black pepper and notes of "pencil lead". On the palate, this velvety wine reveals a nice sweetness and a very good length.
