Domaine FrançoisE & Denis Clair
The wines of Domaine Françoise & Denis Clair have garnered increasing attention in recent vintages for several reasons. Not the least of these is the quality of wines Jean-Baptiste Clair is producing in his late father’s honorable stead. Their plots in Santenay and St. Aubin, abutting Chassagne and Puligny-Montrachet on either side, represent some of the best positions their appellations in the Côtes de Beaune have to offer. A mere 15 total hectares of scattered holdings, it’s clear why supply cannot keep up with demand as the reverence for these wines builds.
The Hautes-Côtes de Beaune bottlings are as close as Jean-Baptiste gets to making entry level wines, though it would be reductive to refer to them as such. Vinified from grapes grown at the top of the golden slopes of Beaune, this is an opportunity to enjoy Pinot Noir and Chardonnay farmed a stone’s throw away from vaunted names like Volnay, Pommard, or Meursault. The elevation makes itself known as an airier, higher-toned character than one might expect from those famous communes, but the personality of the Côtes de Beaune is unmistakable.
The Santenay “Clos Genet” Rouge is another animal altogether. Made from vines grown on limestone and clay soils, this wine sings in more of a baritone range. Destemming is a major part of the process in the production here, so as not to extract stemmy bitterness or tannins. It is fermented in concrete tanks and then moved to barrels for ageing. Ruby in color with tones of black cherry, pomegranate, tobacco and warm spice and a lengthy, cerebral presence, “Clos Genet” is truly sophisticated for villages level Santenay.
On the white end of the spectrum, the range of Saint-Aubin bottlings land on the sharp, mineral-driven side of Chardonnay, but not without weight and resonance. Up front, these are Chablis-drinker’s Beaune: racy, lithe, and hard-edged with a crisp intensity and fruit tones ranging from tart apple and Meyer lemon to juicy orchard fruit and with even a slight touch of the tropical. On the mid-palate we find a certain golden-fruited succulence, a thread of commonality through each bottling, clearly indicative of the Côte d’Or.