We headed north to the southerly part of the Côte de Beaune and the village of Santenay. Our destination was the historic estate of Château Philippe le Hardi, previously known as Château de Santenay. This is an incredibly important estate within Burgundy with 96 hectares of vineyards spread over 20 different appellations. It was here in 1395 that Gamay was forbidden in Burgundy and thus marked the first decree regarding viticultural control.
Chloe Deroy was our host and she was excellent – delivering a wonderfully concise history of the estate, a tour through the old cellars and gaol and finishing up with a terrific tasting that encompassed a mix of whites and reds, village and premier cru and culminating in the amazing Clos de Vougeot 2018 Grand Cru at €160 per bottle!
We took another lovely lunch in Santenay at Le Terroir restaurant. Our host/owner Corinne Germain was wonderfully hospitable and very efficient in keeping to our schedule.
Our afternoon visit took us to a lesser known appellation in the Côte de Beaune called Maranges.
The estate was the family owned Domaine Chevrot and owner Pablo Chevrot took us round. Pablo was very engaging and as the sun was shining took the opportunity to show us the terroir and the dividing path that separated Maranges from Santenay. From the vineyard into the historic family cellar and then into a pleasant covered area for the tasting. This was definitely new territory for many of us as we taste the Aligoté grape in the Bourgogne Aligoté, Chardonnay in their Hautes Côtes de Beaune and Maranges whites. Pinot Noir was then the reds: Hautes Côtes de Beaune, Maranges and Maranges 1er Cru.
This was a great contrast to the wines earlier in the morning and showed how the subtleties of terroir can influence a wine style.
Pablo always had a big smile on his face and we discovered why. His exports account for about 50% of sales but he revealed that he could sell his production three times over, such was demand. He prefers to keep his existing contacts both international and domestic who have been loyal over the years. A great success story.