Saint-Romain rouge "Sous Roche" AOC 2021

A Pinot Noir with a dark foundation: plenty of black cherry, a touch of plum and morello cherry, alongside bark, stems and stalks, peat, tobacco and pepper. This comes across as almost earthy, yet remains coherent throughout.

The Sous Roche site lies in the eastern part of the Saint-Romain appellation, facing east, at 380 metres. The soil is limestone, the so-called calcosol on Saint-Romain marl; it carries 60-year-old vines. The altitude brings cool nights and an extended ripening period, giving the grape acid structure and aromatic depth.

Pinot Noir, hand-harvested and partly destemmed. Fermentation in stainless-steel vats proceeded spontaneously, the cap being punched down and pumped over. Malolactic fermentation also began spontaneously, already in barrel. Ageing lasted ten to twelve months in 228-, 350- and 500-litre barriques as well as tonneaux, of which at most 10% are replaced each year; racking took place whenever Frédéric Buisson deemed it appropriate. Fining was done with bentonite, filtration is only very light, and sulphur is added only at bottling, at a maximum of 40 to 50 mg/l total sulphite.

The earthy, tangy side remains, but is kept in balance by fine extract sweetness and delicate tannin. The wine thus comes across as silky and elegant, while staying firm and grippy, carrying through to a fairly long, chalky finish.

Braised veal sweetbreads à la diable with ravioli and sage, baby turnips and pointed cabbage, smoked over blackcurrant wood, and lightly smoked duck breast with carrots and raz-el-hanout mousseline.

The Buisson family farms 13 hectares in Saint-Romain, Santenay and Beaune according to biodynamic principles, introduced by Henri Buisson in 1990. Vinification follows a minimal-intervention approach.