Here, the land is not only the land: it is the hedge and the stone wall that border it, the seasons that follow one another, the dew that settles… Here, wine is not only wine: it is a climate, a cellar, an estate, a vigilance, a love, it is a colour, aromas, it is the glass where we taste, it is a secret, it is patience. In Burgundy, the Martin brothers’ twenty-five hectares of Chardonnay are anchored on the slopes of the Solutré and Vergisson rocks. The memory of the Domaine de la Croix Senaillet is built patiently over the years…

Climate

Climate in 2021At the end of a contrasting winter, the first buds burst in spite of the rain. At the beginning of April, a mass of polar air descended from the north: already advanced in the vegetative cycle, the plots were damaged by frost. The cool sets in with weak sunshine in April as in rainy May. At the beginning of June, the vines, which until then had been vegetating, blossomed thanks to the good weather. Flowering occurs around June 10 in ideal conditions. Storms pass and on June 21 hail rages. Until July, rains and lulls alternate and more than ever we personalize the care given to each plot, with a preventive perspective. In the second half of August, a northerly wind cleanses the vineyard and allows normal veraison. The spared grapes ripen all the more so as other rains occur, good for making the berries swell. At the beginning of September, the harvest returned to our cellar in small volumes, without surprise. It was necessary to follow very precise maturity monitoring while circumventing meteorological obstacles to achieve optimal quality of the grapes: the good aromatic balance and the freshness make this vintage a success all the same.

Winemaking

Parcel size of 0.39 ha. Soils of white limestone in platelets, covered with a stony clay layer. Exposure to the north-east, overhanging an old small local quarry. Chardonnay grown organically, 8500 vines/ha. Average age of the vineyard is 45 years. Mâconnaise pruning, fairly short, about 12 buds. Harvesting at optimum maturity, based on maturity studies for each parcel. Selective pressing adapted to the ripeness of the grapes, at low pressure, slow, favouring the purity and aromatic qualities of the juice. Slow alcoholic fermentation in demi-muids, made from French oak. Consecutive malolactic fermentation. Aged for 10 months on fine lees, in vats and 50% in new demi-muids. Bottled at the property.

Tasting notes

Sparkling colour with golden hues. Ample and generous on the palate, with a nice woody note. Fresh, suave, this wine is enhanced by notes of kumquat. Woody aromas on the length with freshness.