What's Pressoir Drinking - Savigny Les Beaune!

Victoire Chabert

June 2, 2023

Yesterday we celebrated Justine and Daniel's birthdays, as they were both born within 1 day of each other and ... a few years apart! A new opportunity for the new holder of the Ordre Nationale du Mérite medal, Daniel, to dig into his cellar. He brought out a Chablis, a Riesling... and a Savigny les Beaunes 1998 Aux Guettes from our friends at Domaine Bize.

Deep on the nose, balanced and long on the palate, this wine was ideal and delicious with freshly cooked flank steak.

Let's take a closer look at the Savigny appellation, which I think is a little underestimated.

What follows is taken from one of my Uncle Patrick Essa's articles which, like all his other writings, are the original expression of a personal analysis that combines field knowledge, regular tastings over more than 30 years and winemaking experience at Domaine Buisson Charles.

Theological would be this cru from Savigny Lès ("near" in old French) Beaune! I'm sure it's enough to seduce even the most demanding wine drinker, but to win the good graces of discerning tasters the world over, you need more than that! And as is the case everywhere in this blessed Côte de Beaune, the commune has no shortage of assets, thanks to its easy-to-digest, pleasing crus that enthrall with their subtle, witty personalities. Always straightforward, without being able to do without it... Times change, but adages remain!

A vast commune situated between the Montagne de Corton and the magnificent Coteau de Beaune, its vineyards start off to the south against the A6 freeway, which covers land that was once part of its finage, the cru de Marconnets in particular, and ends up right up against the Vergelesses de Pernand. This is one of the largest communes in the Beaune area, with over 375 hectares planted and classified - mostly Pinots - and like its larger neighbor Beaune, many of its climats are rightly classified as Premier Crus, covering 140 hectares.

Notably, not a single one of these is open to dispute, and it's rather difficult to define an accepted and relevant hierarchy. In any case, I'm not going to do so, as they all have assertive characters that should lead wine-lovers to discover them in depth. An experience that will undoubtedly be fascinating for those who try it!

The first slope begins to the south, continuing along the Beaune finage towards the Marconnets and Peuillets climates. Clay-limestone at the top and sandier as you descend the slope, it faces north-east and is comparable in many ways to the wines of Beaune. Its best portion is in the center, with the cru des Jarrons, topped by the Hauts Jarrons, and its sub-division long known as La Dominode or Dominaude. It's a deep, fleshy wine that rivals the best Beaunois crus. Underneath it, Narbonne is a little finer but also less dense on average, so it ages well. I have a weakness for Peuillets, which has the tenderness of Volnay with a characteristic freshness. Rouvrettes is firmer, and the little Redrescul, which can hardly be mechanized, is planted in an east-west direction and produces taut, fairly fine whites.

A second hillside faces the first, with different but predominantly south-east-facing slopes. Less clayey at the top and very stony, it produces the most delicate wines in the area, with notable exceptions such as Serpentières. This is an admirable area and one of Burgundy's finest hillsides for pinot fin. Vergelesses to the north against Pernand, Lavières and Serpentières form a trio of perfectly constituted crus, always impeccably ripe and balanced. They are undoubtedly the most representative of this commune, as their red fruitiness combined with a spicy character is most original. I fail to understand their relative lack of notoriety and can only emphasize their remarkable value for money. Note the existence in Les Vergelesses of a sub-place called Bataillère, which has always been considered locally as the best portion of the cru.

The village areas are mostly located on the alluvial fan on the way to Chorey. Productive, they give healthy, full-bodied wines that can be better than Chorey and Beaune village, particularly in the Liards zone. Another, higher sector lies to the west of the Combe de Barboron and is sometimes planted with Pinot Blanc or Chardonnay. Les Gollardes is, I think, the best lieu-dit.

Recommended producers: Domaine Rodolphe Demougeot (Peuillets), Domaine Bruno Clair (Dominodes), Domaine Albert Morot (La Bataillère), Domaine Pierre Guillemot (Serpentières), Domaine Pavelot, Domaine Chandon de Briaille

The Serpentières climate:

Les Serpentières is located on the outskirts of the village, not far from the cemetery, in a relatively flat, stony area combining red clay and limestone. This southeast-facing climate produces long-keeping wines that always take a little longer to reveal themselves than other Savigny wines. From this point of view, they are often the most discreet and austere wines of the finage when young. However, as they age, they take on a unique bouquet of wild rose and blackberry, reminiscent of the best Côte de Beaune crus. It's quite precocious because it's sunny, which also gives the crus a fleshy tannic texture that's never too firm. This is unquestionably a wine that Burgundy connoisseurs should seek out. Domaine Guillemot - among others - produces here a straightforward, fine wine from just over one hectare in the middle and lower parts of the finage. Having tasted some very old ones, I can attest to their remarkable density and proverbial ageing capacity. Delicious : 76/78/79/85/88 and 90.

There are quite a few good producers in this appellation, and all of them make wines that can compare with the best of neighboring Beaune and Corton. To get almost the same quality for half the price of a Côte de Beaune Grand Cru is only possible in Savigny les Beaune. One of the most underestimated villages in the Côte de Beaune, its alluvial plain is too large, in the shape of a "wine well". The presence of the town of Beaune right next door has also been somewhat detrimental to the finage, which is often perceived as a sub-part of this AOC. A real pity, as Savigny is always a refined, perfectly balanced wine. The rusticity of some of the "village" cuvées on the lower slopes is undoubtedly a minor drawback.

Domaine Ecard: fine, bouquety and sappy, the old wines are superb.

Domaine Pavelot: Concentrated and tannic, with proverbial longevity.

Domaine Lebreuil: the latest vintages are splendid.

Domaine Giboulot: very elegant.

Domaine Guillemot: one hectare ideally placed.

Domaine Drouhin: a regularly successful, gourmet cuvée.

Domaine Bize: a wine with staying power and elegance from a young age.