2003 Jean Claude Boisset Santenay Grand Clos Rousseau

Jean-Claude Boisset founded his negociant enterprise in 1961 when he was an ambitious 18-year-old. Boisset set up his business in Nuits-Saint-Georges in a former Ursulines convent and for four decades built his business with international sales. In 2002 his son Jean-Charles took over and expanded the negociant business into a hybrid venture that also vinifies wine from many Burgundy appellations. Gregory Patriat is Boisset’s viniculturalist, sourcing grapes from carefully selected growers. The estate makes Premier Cru and village wines.

Santenay is the southernmost appellation in the Côte d’Or. The appellation includes the communes of Santenay and Remigny and it has 813 vineyard acres. Both red and white wines can be made within the Santenay appellation, though in practice about 85% of the wine produced here is red. Pinot Blanc may be used in white wines, though most white Santenays are 100% Chardonnay. Though there are no Grands Crus, Santenay boasts 12 Premiers Crus. Among the best Premiers Crus vineyards are Clos de Tavannes, La Comme, Les Gravières and Le Passe Temps. Robert M. Parker Jr. has written that “good Santenays share a robust, tannic, earthy character with a bouquet that suggests cherry and strawberry fruit intertwined with the smell of sautéed almonds.” Clive Coates has noted that the white wines of Santenay “should be crisp, medium-bodied and fruity, less racy but fuller than Saint-Aubins, perhaps with a touch of spice…”

This red wine is relatively light and can pair with a wide variety of foods. The grape prefers cooler climates and the wine is most often associated with Burgundy, Champagne and the U.S. west coast. Regional differences make it nearly as fickle as it is flexible.