Hubert Lamy Santenay 1er Cru “Clos des Gravieres” 2023
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The Land
Hubert Lamy is one of the most sought-after white wine names in Burgundy, yet this bottle is red, and it comes from Santenay, at the southern end of the Côte de Beaune. Clos des Gravières lies at Santenay's northern edge, on the lower slope beside the Chassagne-Montrachet boundary, and takes its name from the gravel washed down over its limestone base. That stony, free-draining ground gives Pinot Noir from Santenay a firmer, more mineral frame than the commune's heavier clay sites usually produce. Olivier Lamy bought his parcel in 2012 and interplanted it to about 20,000 vines per hectare, roughly double the Burgundian norm. Every vine carries fewer, smaller bunches, and the roots compete deep into the limestone, which concentrates the fruit without adding weight.
The Wine
Hubert Lamy Santenay 1er Cru Clos des Gravières 2023 is 100% Pinot Noir. Lamy's reds lean heavily on whole clusters, about 70 percent in 2018 and the entire crop in 2022. Fermentations are slow, with indigenous yeasts, and the wine is raised in large demi-muids of up to 600 liters with little or no new oak, so stems and site speak louder than barrel. The 2023 season gave the Côte d'Or a very large crop, ripened through a late-August heatwave; growers who thinned hard got the most concentrated wine, and the dense planting here does that work naturally. In recent vintages this wine has opened with alpine strawberry, raspberry, and crushed anise, followed by a medium-weight, mineral middle and a firm, peppery finish. Expect it to close up young; give it three to five years in the cellar.
The People
The Lamy family has grown vines in Saint-Aubin since 1640, but the modern domaine dates to 1973, when Hubert Lamy started out with land from his father plus leased vines, then spent two decades adding 1er Cru parcels. His son Olivier trained at Domaine Méo-Camuzet in Vosne-Romanée, joined in 1995, and ended grape sales to négociants in 1997. Olivier is best known for his haute densité plantings, up to 30,000 vines per hectare in Saint-Aubin, an idea drawn from pre-phylloxera Burgundy. For the reds he has brought in Marsannay grower Sylvain Pataille as a consultant, which helps explain the stem-driven, low-oak style. The domaine farms organically without certification, prunes hard, and keeps yields low. Olivier now runs it with his wife, Karine.
Food Pairing
Clos des Gravières has the acidity and stem spice for lighter meats and earthy flavors. Roast quail stuffed with wild rice and mushrooms suits its red-berry fruit. A pork rib roast rubbed with crushed fennel seed and garlic picks up the anise. Seared tuna steak with cracked black pepper and a soy and butter glaze works because firm tannin and bright acidity stand up to oily fish. Finish with a wedge of 18-month Comté, whose nutty crystals sharpen the wine's mineral finish. This is the bottle for the Burgundy fan who thinks Lamy is all about Chardonnay.
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Burgundy, in eastern France, encompasses several subregions, but it is the Côte d'Or that is home to many of the world's most expensive and revered wines. The region, primarily a single east-facing slope, has mixed limestone soils that vary dramatically from village to village and even vineyard to vineyard. White wines, crafted from Chardonnay, range from rich and opulent to lean and intensely mineral, while Pinot Noir produces silky, perfumed red wines of exceptional finesse and complexity. Centuries of winemaking tradition have resulted in every plot being meticulously recognized and scrutinized, making the Côte d'Or a true capital of terroir.
Burgundy - Cote d'Or
Chardonnay, one of the world's most versatile and beloved white grape varieties, showcases a remarkable spectrum of styles, from the lean, mineral-driven expressions of Chablis in France to the rich, buttery, and oak-aged versions from California's Napa Valley. Its adaptability extends to cooler climates such as Burgundy, where it achieves elegance and complexity, and to regions like Australia's Yarra Valley, known for producing vibrant and fruit-forward renditions. This grape's ability to reflect its terroir, coupled with winemaking techniques, results in a wide array of profiles, including unoaked, crisp varieties with apple and citrus notes, to full-bodied wines with tropical fruit flavors and creamy textures.
