Santenay 1er Cru rouge "Clos De La Comme" AOC 2020

A Pinot Noir that works through juice and tension rather than weight. The nose stays transparent and clear: red berries and cherry, alongside floral notes, subtle spice and only very faintly perceptible oak.

The La Comme climat in Santenay covers 21.61 hectares, with its upper section classified as village. The Clos sits at 280 metres and borders directly on Chassagne-Montrachet. The grapes are bought in and are therefore offered under the name Maison Henri & Gilles Buisson, bottled in Saint-Romain.

Pure varietal Pinot Noir, hand-harvested, partially destemmed and spontaneously fermented in stainless steel vats, with punch-downs and pump-overs of the cap. Malolactic fermentation runs spontaneously in barrel. This is followed by ten to twelve months of ageing in barriques and tonneaux of 228, 350 and 500 litres, of which at most 10 percent are replaced each year. Fined with bentonite, only very lightly filtered, sulphured only at bottling with at most 40 to 50 mg/l total sulphite. 13.0% vol., dry.

Grainy to fine-grained tannin, a light silkiness in the texture, plenty of crisp acidity. Above this, lively red and dark fruit, rounded off by a hint of vanilla and cinnamon. The slightly austere components lend grip, while the pure fruit remains the dominant element.

Braised pheasant with savoy cabbage, grilled sea bass fillet with rosemary or pappardelle with cavolo nero and lentils.

Frédéric Buisson tastes the wine daily and racks the barrels as soon as he judges it sensible. The bought-in grapes are grown organically and biodynamically; at the 13-hectare family estate in Saint-Romain, Santenay and Beaune, they have worked according to biodynamic principles since 1990, introduced by Henri Buisson.