Domaine Chanson
Savigny-Les-Beaune 1er Cru Hauts Marconnets Domaine 2021
Savigny-lès-Beaune
White wine is a rarity in Savigny-les-Beaune, an appellation that produces almost exclusively red. Les Hauts Marconnets is the exception: a 2.1-hectare parcel high on the Savigny hillside where marl, chalk, and limestone soils led Domaine Chanson to plant Chardonnay rather than Pinot Noir. Sitting close to the Premier Cru hills of Beaune, it is one of the most unusual and compelling whites in the Côte de Beaune, a wine shaped by the mineral precision of its terroir and the freshness of its elevated position. Pale gold in color, it opens with delicate floral fragrances and aromas of apricot and pale-fleshed fruit on a smoky note. Round and ample on the palate, with well-integrated oak and a long, refreshing finish with hints of vanilla.
VINEYARD
Les Hauts Marconnets sits high on the hill of Savigny-les-Beaune, southeast-facing and close to the Premier Cru hills of Beaune. The 2.1-hectare parcel is planted to Chardonnay, an unusual choice for an appellation that produces almost entirely red wine. The decision was driven by the soil: marl, chalk, and limestone of a character better suited to white varieties than the clay and limestone typical of Savigny's red wine parcels lower on the slope. The elevated position brings freshness and precision to the fruit, while the mineral soils contribute the smoky, textured quality that defines this wine.
WINEMAKING
Hand-picked and whole cluster fermented in vat. The wine is then aged in French oak casks for 14 to 18 months in Domaine Chanson's 15th-century Bastion cellar, with a moderate use of new oak.
VINTAGE
2021 opened with a mild winter marked by sharp temperature swings, followed by a spring that arrived with unusual warmth before a sudden, intense frost struck Burgundy in early April, severely damaging buds that had already formed on the vine. The months that followed brought alternating rain and warmth, with humid summer conditions adding further pressure. Harvest began at Chanson on September 15 under bright sunshine, yielding wines of floral freshness and beautiful fruit expression, with volumes notably lower than average.
TASTING NOTE
Pale gold. Delicate floral fragrances with aromas of apricot and pale-fleshed fruit on a smoky note. Round and ample on the palate, with well-integrated oak and a long, refreshing finish with hints of vanilla.
FOOD PAIRING
Foie gras, shellfish, grilled scallops, grilled fish
Color
White
Blend %
100% Chardonnay
Appellation
Savigny-lès-Beaune
Alcohol
13.5%
Suggested Retail Price
$75
Trade Materials
Other Wines by this Producer
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