Dark in colour, the cassis fruit aromas are very ripe, with an earth and mineral edge. The wine is structured and powerful, yet it never loses its essential elegance. Rossignol farms 2.1ha of Santenots de Dessous where the mother rock comes back to the surface, covered by a bit of clay. The site ripens grapes easily and Rossignol reports picking at 14.5% potential alcohol in 2020. For this wine, he destems the harvest completely, extracts the tannin and colour very gently, and then matures the wine in 20% new barrels. (CC)

The 2020 Volnay Les Santenots 1er Cru is completely de-stemmed. Quite rich and confit-like on the nose, this offer mulberry/dark plum aromas that just feel a little muffled. The palate is shows a little more restraint and focus, fine grip and good acidity, with a slight savoriness towards the finish. (NM)