Santenay

RegionCôte de Beaune
VillageSantenay
AppellationSantenay
Grape varietyChardonnay

The Vine

Average vine age 30 years
SoilMarl and limestone.
Average yield45 hl/ha
HarvestHand picked

Wine tips

Cellaring Potential3-5 years
Serving temperature 11-13°

Description

This wine comes from the village of Santenay, which is the most Southerly of the villages in Côte de Beaune and famous for its spa. The Santenay Blanc represents only 5% of the appellation of Santenay and is considered quite rare.

Vinification & Ageing

Fermentation
Traditional in stainless steel vats, temperature controlled with complete malolactic fermentation
Ageing
8 to 10 months ageing in stainless steel vats

Wine tasting

Tasting Note
An excellent alternative to some of its more illustrious neighbours of Chassagne-Montrachet and Puligny-Montrachet, this completely satisfying Santenay has a pale gold colour. It is medium-bodied with aromas of pears and peaches with light dried fruit characters. Sophisticated, with balanced acidity, this wine boasts a surprising depth of flavour and a persistent length.
Food Pairing
Shellfish - fish - goat cheese.

Press review

Santenay Blanc 2022 - Burgundy Report - Bill Nanson - December 2023
Narrower perfume but with fine high tones and an extra depth of aroma. Here the wide flavour has more focus on the fruit and the clean, almost incisive, style of that fruit. Slowly fading with a stony fruit impression. This will be lovely.
Santenay blanc 2022 - Wine Spectator - 90/100
There's some breadth to this white, with flavors of peach, apple tart, butter, vanilla and clove. Bright and balanced, picking up a salty note on the finish. Drink now through 2027. (USA, April 2024)
Santenay Blanc 2019 - James Suckling - July 2021 - 91-92 pts
If you enjoy Chassagne-Montrachet, but the prices are getting out of your reach, this is an excellent alternative. Plenty of ripe-pear character fills out the generous and mellow body. Full, silky finish.
Santenay Blanc 2017 - Jancis Robinson - January 2019 - 15.5+/20
Very pale. A hint of oak on the nose, then quite racy with good grip and something rather blossomy on the medium-bodied palate. Drink: 2020 - 2025 (cask sample).
Santenay Blanc 2016 - William Kelley, Wine Advocate (USA) - January 2019 - "A definite success"
Aromas of buttered apples, lime zest, pastry cream and subtle hazelnut introduce Latour's 2016 Santenay Village Blanc, a medium-bodied white with tangy acids, good concentration and impressive structural tension that concludes with a saline finish. Bottled under DIAM 5, it's a definite success that exemplifies the positive direction Latour's whites are taking. Drink 2018-2024.
Santenay Blanc 2016 - The World of Fine Wine - March 2018 - 89/100
Straw-gold lights. Nicely controlled rustic print of the terroir pervades the wine, mitigated by the elegance of 2016. Agrumes (grapefruit and lime). Fine acidity. Lots of flavor, little frost. - Michael Edwards
Santenay Blanc 2016 - Jancis Robinson - January 2018 - 15/20
Spicy nose, cooked green apple fruit and a nice dairy character giving creamy texture. Pretty simple, but nicely made. Drink 2017-2020
Santenay Blanc 2014 - Wine Spectator (web only) 2016 - 88/100
Sporting lemon and apple flavors accented by butterscotch, this beefy white is open, giving immediate impact and moderate length. Drink now. By Bruce Sanderson (USA).
Santenay Blanc 2012 - Wine Spectator - July 2015 - 90/100White flowers and lime blossom aromas lead off with flavors of apple and citrus. Reveals a nice interplay between the vibrant acidity and rich texture, finishing long. Drink now through 2020. 450 cases made. - B.S.
Santenay Blanc 2011 - Wine Spectator - August 2014 - 89/100Creamy and harmonious, with apple, peach, white flower and lemon cake flavors. Finishes with freshness and a hint of mineral. Drink now through 2018. By Bruce Sanderson (USA)
Santenay 2010 - Wine Spectator Online - February 2013 - 89/100Broad and lush, full of apple and grapefruit flavors. This is on the burly side, but ends with length and echoes of apple and honey. Best from 2014 through 2020. By Bruce Sanderson, USA.
Santenay Blanc 2003 - Vintages - April 2006 - "Quite delicious"Fairly strong vanilla and toast frames exuberant and impressively fresh orchard fruit aromas and rich, round, sweet and forward flavors that offer excellent volumeand no rusticity. This is easy to like and is quite delicious if not particularly elegant or complex.
Santenay Blanc 2003 - Burghound.com - October 2005 - 86 points Fairly strong vanilla and toast frames exuberant and impressively fresh orchard fruit aromas and rich, round, sweet and forward flavors that offer excellent volume and no rusticity. This is easy to like and is quite delicious if not particularly elegant or complex. 86/now
Santenay Blanc 2003 - 2003's Wine Advocate - Issue 158 - 87-88 Points Spicy pears and toasty minerals make up that aromatic profile of this white wine. This is a light to medium-bodied wine with good richness, breadth, and depth. Its sappy mineral flavours linger in the finish. Drink it over the next 2 - 3 years.
2003 Santenay - 2003's Wine Advocate Ratings - Issue 158 - 87-88 PointsSpicy pears and toasty minerals make up tha aromatic profile of this white wine. This is a light to medium-bodied wine with good richness, breadth, and depth. Its sappy mineral flavours linger in the finish. Drink it over the next 2 - 3 years.
Santenay Blanc 2002 - La Revue du Vin de France - February 2006 - "A very refreshing wine"Strawy robe, pale emerald hue. Floral bouquet, honeysuckle, aniseed hints. Lively palate, slightly lemony, citrus notes, with a tonic and firm balance. A very refreshing wine. Easy to drink as of today.
Santenay Blanc 1996 - The Times - Decembre 1997 - "Full, ripe, fruity"[...] try this full, ripe, waxy, apple and glacé-fruit stached white, with plenty of Santenay's classic nutty fruit to the fore. [...]