The 2011 Santenay Cuvee S is a blend of village crus, mainly from Les Corniers which is affected by a lot of millerandage and therefore produces only 20hl/ha. It is an homage to David’s grandmother Simone, who apparently is still working the vines at the age of 81. Raised in one-third new oak to impart a little more complexity, it has a lifted, perfumed bouquet with touches of blackberry leaf, raspberry and cold stone. The palate is nicely balanced with a fine thread of acidity and like David mentioned, the oak is quite prominent at this stage and will definitely require a couple of years to be fully absorbed. But there is good weight on the back-palate and it should reward cellaring. Drink 2015-2022.
David Moreau studied at Beaune and Dijon University, having always aspired to be a vigneron. His father was a sports teacher and so the winemaking passed from grandfather, Jean Moreau, to grandson. This meant there was more imperative for David to start in the vineyards when Jean approached his retirement. He informed his grandfather that he had to do want he wanted, which was in fact similar to his grandfather’s practices when he was young. David mentioned that the appellation of Santenay is less well-known than others and this means that some vignerons produce more quantity to receive a decent income. But David commented that he does not want to produce more than 40 hectoliters per hectare for Pinot Noir, although the weather conditions limited him to 25 hectoliters per hectare in 2010, 2011 and 2012. These reds were bottled mid-January on a fruit day (David does not adhere to the lunar calendar in the vineyard, but he does in the winery.) He never green harvests, which he infers as correcting an imbalance in the vineyard and risks excessively large bunches the following year. Grasses are grown between vines to reduce vigor and these factors combined means that he was of the last in Santenay to harvest. There are no enzymes or tannins here, and only wild yeasts are used during fermentation and he dislikes early malolactic fermentation. These wines were natural, well-crafted, a little rustic perhaps, but thoroughly enjoyable. David struck me as a young self-conscious winemaker, eager to learn his art and responsive to feedback. I can only oblige and look forward to tasting his 2012s from barrel.
Importer: Becky Wasserman Selection (various importers), Le Serbet, Beaune; fax 011-33-3-80-24-29-70
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