2015 Domaine A. & P. de Villaine Santenay Passetemps

Domaine A. & P. de Villaine in Bouzeron is owned and operated by Aubert de Villaine and his wife Pamela. Aubert de Villaine is an heir to the DRC domaine and is still co-owner and co-director of DRC. The couple bought property in Bouzeron, an appellation between Chassange-Montrachet and Rully in the Cote Chalonnaise, in the 1970s and were instrumental in advocating for the creation of a Bouzeron appellation in 1997. Aligote is the premier grape grown in Bouzeron, and A. & P. de Villain has Aligote parcels in Bouzeron, as well as Chardonnay in Rully and Pinot Noir in Mercurey. The domain has 50 acres altogether. Clive Coates has written that Aubert de Villaine “produces some of the best generic wines in Burgundy.”

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.