Santenay Clos de Malte Blanc 2020 6x75cl

The white Santenay Clos de Malte is a rich and structured wine. It is elegant and fresh, with fruity, citrusy aromas and a hint of woody notes.

Vineyards

The village of Santenay is located in the southern part of the Côte de Beaune, just after Chassagne-Montrachet. The Clos de Malte is a 7 ha 'Monopole' (Louis Jadot is the sole owner) situated on the Climat Sous la Fée at the foot of the Montagne des Troix Croix. The Santenay Clos de Malte is mainly planted with Pinot Noir with a small hectare of Chardonnay situated on soil of limestone and clay.

Vintage

As with last year, winter 2019-20 was both mild and relatively dry. The first days of April were cooler, and helped to slow the pace of growth slightly. Things picked up again during the last half of the month, when temperatures rose to around 25 degrees - unusally warm for this time of year - as the plants were able to synthesise high levels of organic acids. May brought some rainfall, which allowed the vines to continue their growth uninterrupted, and the first flowers were seen on the young Chardonnay vines in mid-May. Full flowering took place towards the end of May and the beginning of June, and the berries swelled rapidly despite the general lack of rainfall. Growth, whilst not entirely even across the region, was around three weeks ahead of schedule. Véraison occurred with minimal disease pressure at the start of July. Burgundy sweltered through several heatwaves. The extremely dry weather slowed the pace of véraison by the end of July, particularly among the vines carrying the heaviest weight of bunches. Nevertheless, by the end of July, véraison had more or less passed the midway point, and the leaves remained green. The slopes were hit by a further heatwave in mid-August, and the more fragile plants began showing signs of hydric stress, with a yellowing at the base of their leaves. Due to the lack of rainfall, the ripening accelerated, with Pinot Noir taking the lead over most of the Chardonnay vines. The grapes were very healthy, with no trace of mildew or rot. Harvesting began with the early Pinot Noir sectors (Volnay, Meursault, Beaune, Savigny) on 19th August, followed by the Côte de Nuits a week later, with all of the harvest brought in by the end of a warm September. But it had been a very dry season with several heat spikes in August, causing the vines to shut down. This, slightly counter intuitively, contributed to balanced alcohols and higher acidity in the final wines.

Winemaking

The white Santenay Clos de Malte is a rich and structured wine. It is elegant and fresh, with fruity, citrusy aromas and a hint of woody notes.

Enjoy with:

Perfect with roast chicken and all the trimmings.