Description
Domaine du Château Philippe le Hardi (formerly Château de Santenay) was once the majestic stately home of the first Duke of Burgundy. Philippe le Hardi received his duchy from his father, the King of France, and became famous for banning the cultivation of Gamay in the Côte d’Or, saying in his edict of 1395 that only Pinot Noir could be used in the production of red wines from the already fabled slopes.
The magnificent Château has a flamboyant multi-coloured tiled roof ‘en tuile vernissée de Bourgogne’, one of the region’s most distinctive architectural traditions. Despite the property’s long history, it fell on hard times until it was taken over by French bank Crédit Agricole in 2010. The current owners have invested heavily in the estate over the past decade, building a new cuverie in 2014 and putting in place a new team, including Chef de Cave François des Moutis. He is focused is on revealing the quality of the domaine’s single-vineyard sites through sensitive winemaking. A more gentle extraction and less new oak than in the past mean that the wines today are supple, characterful expressions of their well-respected sites.
This wine displays lifted aromas of lightly-wooded blackcurrant. On the palate, blackcurrant and liquorice blend beautifully with a slight peppery finish, enhanced by silky tannins and notes of toast and cedar from oak ageing.