2016 Volnay 1er Cru Les Santenots | Vincent Girardin

Aloxe-Corton “Old Vines” red

VINE AGE
50 years

GEOLOGY
The vines are located in the area of the municipal appellation of Aloxe-Corton, a delightful village with the only Grand Cru red in the Cote de Beaune. Soil: clay-marl subsoil depending on the location with limestone debris. Pruning is carried out in Guyot (Poussard) with various green works (disbudding, trellising, topping).

WINEMAKING
Manual harvest, sorting on the vines then sorting on a sorting table (depending on certain years, use of an optical sorter) then in the vat room.

BREEDING
The grapes, after light crushing and destemming, are placed whole in stainless steel vats. A small portion of the whole harvest may be incorporated depending on the condition of the raw material. After cold maceration for a few days, the active phase of fermentation takes place with temperature control. During this phase we practice pumping over and/or punching down. When fermentation is complete, the free-run juice is separated from the solid parts. The marcs are pressed, at low pressure, in a pneumatic press. The wines are placed in barrels (around 30% new wood) where aging takes place. This lasted 14 months, during which malolactic fermentation took place. One month before bottling, the wine from the different barrels is assembled in vats. No fining and light lenticular filtration precedes bottling. Some modifications to the overall technique may be made depending on the vintage. Bottling is done according to the lunar calendar.

TASTING
The attack is on fruits such as blackberry, blueberry, then the spicy tannins give chewiness and a velvety structure. The finish is generous with aromas of spices.

METS
This is a wine that goes well with power pairings, grilled meat, various cheeses, game. Serve at 14°c.