Volnay 1er cru Les Santenots 2024 Domaine Rémi Jobard

The Volnay 1er Cru Les Santenots 2024 from Domaine Rémi Jobard combines intensity and delicacy in a rare way. The Santenots vineyard is first mentioned in 1218 and lies entirely within the commune of Meursault, yet its red wines take the name of Volnay, as there is no red Meursault. Its clay-rich soils produce a wine of greater power and texture while keeping the fine tannins of Volnay: a pure, silky Volnay with unexpected persistence.

Terroir and vineyards

The Santenots, set on the mid-slope just south of Volnay, have shallow clay-limestone soils, made of a brown layer of silt resting on fractured bedrock. The estate farms around 0.42 hectares of Pinot Noir, averaging some sixty years of age, certified organic since 2008, with hand harvesting and rigorous sorting. Since 2015, the reds have been vinified with 80% whole clusters, to avoid excessive fruit richness in these warmer times. The long, cold fermentation uses indigenous yeasts. Ageing takes place in oak, including demi-muids from the Austrian cooperage Stockinger, with around 25% new wood, for twelve months, followed by six months in vat, producing pure, clean and precise wines with no woody aromas.

Tasting profile

The colour is a bright ruby red. The nose opens on deep aromas of black cherry, wild blackberry, raspberry, peony, rose petal and soft liquorice, with notes of undergrowth, clove and a subtly smoky, almost creamy backdrop. On the palate the texture is silky, the tannins velvety, with well-controlled density and a frank attack of crunchy fruit. The finish is taut and persistent, marked by fine minerality and a saliva-stimulating touch of gentle spice.

The domaine

Winegrowers passed down from father to son since the 16th century, the Jobard family farms nine hectares in Meursault, entirely organic, taken over by Rémi in 1992. Rémi Jobard is a fine winemaker, passionate about aromatic purity, producing unctuous and supple Meursault capable of ageing with breed, as well as superb reds from low yields. His wines only truly reveal themselves with time, never seeking to impress.

Food and wine pairing

This Premier Cru Volnay pairs well with roast quail with grapes, pink-cooked veal steak, duck with cherries, feathered game simply roasted or in civet, or glazed poultry. Served at around 15 to 16 °C, after an hour of aeration, it can be enjoyed now or kept for many years.