Volnay-Santenots Premier Cru AOC 2022

A Volnay Premier Cru whose impact comes from clarity rather than power. 13.0% vol., vinified dry, with fruit that stays translucent and lets the structure take the lead.

The Les Santenots vineyard lies within the commune of Meursault, yet may still be marketed as a Premier Cru under the Volnay name — a historic privilege. Pierre-Henri Rougeot farms 12.6 hectares across parcels in Meursault, Volnay and Pommard, working biodynamically and entirely by hand in the vineyard; tractors are used only minimally. His credo: "There can be no good wine from bad soil."

Pure Pinot Noir. Rougeot ferments his Pinot Noirs as whole clusters, unstemmed, with spontaneous fermentation using the estate's own yeasts. Ageing takes place in 228-litre Burgundy barrels with a deliberately low share of new oak, in 18th-century cellars originally built for the Hospices de Beaune. He adds no sulphur during ageing, and the wine is neither filtered nor fined.

Silky, medium-bodied mouthfeel with finely integrated tannins and vibrant acidity. Cherry and raspberry carry the wine, violet and undergrowth lend it depth, and the finish stays long and mineral. A wine that already gives pleasure now and will gain further over the years.

Classic Burgundian cuisine: roast pigeon and coq au vin, as well as veal fillet or wild fowl. For cheese, reach for an aged Époisses.

In 2016, Pierre-Henri Rougeot repositioned the estate: an end to his father Marc's supermarket business, and since then exclusively quality wines, biodynamic farming and minimal intervention. His formative years at Domaine de Montille had shown him the power inherent in reductive winemaking.