2019 Domaine Francoise et Denis Clair Saint-Aubin 1er Cru "En Remilly", Burgundy, France

ABOUT THIS WINE

One of the top Premier Cru sites of Saint-Aubin situated directly behind the Grand Cru hill of Montrachet and below Les Murgers des Dents de Chien, another top vineyard of Saint-Aubin. The plot is very chalky and faces due southwest. Vinified and aged entirely in oak barrels (20% new). The wine is aged for 10-15 months before bottling, depending on the vintage characteristics. This is the height of Saint-Aubin terroir, opulent and complex with the potential of developing in a cellar over the next 5+ years. 1,500 bottles annual production.

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER

The Clair family had owned parcels in the area for generations but sold most of their production to négociants. Denis set out to bottle his own wine.

His wife Françoise was born in Saint-Aubin, a neighboring AOP village 2 1/2 miles to the northwest. This is where the Clairs' winery is located. They have a son, Jean-Baptiste, who in 2000 joined the family business to work the vines, and eventually began making their white wines. Today the family owns 15 hectares, including parcels in Santenay and Saint-Aubin.
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Most of the Clairs’ 9 hectares of Santenay vines are for reds. These wines, with nearly full destemming and an extended cold maceration, enable the family to achieve plenty of richness while retaining a sense of elegance. The soil here is terre blanche—limestone and crushed limestone, along with some clay, but deeper and with a higher percentage of clay than those of Saint-Aubin. The couple used proceeds from their terrain in Santenay to buy and rent Chardonnay parcels in Saint-Aubin, where they own 5 hectares.