Nathalie farms three tiny plots in the village of Santenay, an often overlooked and underrated appellation that has the potential to create silky, elegant Pinot Noir on par with the more transparent styles that cost twice as much a couple miles to the north in Volnay. True to her vision and style, this Santenay is transparent and unadorned, with bright, silky red fruits and a precise, mineral finish. The über classic nature of the 2021 vintage only adds to the purity of terroir, and a tiny kiss of new oak helps to soften the edges just a touch. Of the three Richez wines we’re offering today this is definitely the most structured and regal, and as such it would make a very good candidate for medium term cellaring.
Starting from scratch, without any inherited vines or family connections, is a very tough way to get into the grape growing and winemaking business, but it is especially and incredibly difficult in Burgundy. Outrageously high land prices and centuries of family inheritances splitting and then splitting again make gaining a foothold here very challenging, and establishing your own domaine can feel like winning the lottery–but that is exactly what Nathalie Richez has accomplished. In 2011 she set up her winery and home in the village of Chagny, at the southern tip of the Côte de Beaune, bordering the Côte Chalonnaise, and slowly began acquiring micro plots of vines. Piece by piece she has built her tiny estate into 12 hectares of vines, all of which she farms without the use of chemicals, pesticides or herbicides (though she does not seek organic certification).
Nathalie’s winemaking style is traditional and transparent. She ferments with native yeasts, uses very low toast barrels, and mostly used ones, and adds small amounts of sulfur only when malolactic fermentations have finished. Everything is in the pursuit of elegant, terroir expressive wines. Her love of Burgundy and its long history of winemaking is evident in every bottle, and yet these wines also seem very of the current moment–energetic, vibrant, and gloriously unadorned.
The 2021 Santenay is definitely vibrant and lively, but it also does not lack for structure. I would highly recommend a good decant of 45 to 60 minutes at least, and in truth I found the wine to be at its best on day two or three! That said, once it does get a healthy dose of oxygen exposure it will open up beautifully with layers of ripe raspberries, red currants, pomegranate, blood orange zest, crushed mint, rosewater, and salty minerals. For food pairings, the compact structure will match perfectly with anything that has a nice bit of fat to it, like grilled sausages or duck confit. As mentioned this is a wine that has a very bright future in a cool cellar too, so I would highly recommend grabbing enough bottles to enjoy over the next five to ten years.
