Santenay Rouge

Nathalie owns 1.4 hectares of Pinot Noir in Santenay, split among three parcels: Les Vaux Dessus, Les Charmes Dessus, and Bievaux. Her Santenay Rouge, aged for a year and a half in 20% new barrels, is the kind of effortlessly soulful, meat-and-potatoes red Burgundy that can only be made by a grower who knows how and when to get out of the way of the terroir. It shows terrific balance; it is pure of fruit without feeling fussily pristine; its telltale sous-bois notes are well-integrated and rendered with clarity; and its acidity is pert and true.