Santenay Rouge, Domaine Benoit Girardin, 2022
Santenay Rouge, Domaine Benoit Girardin, 2022
- 75cl
- 13%
- Red Still
- Pinot Noir
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Optimal drinking window: Now - 2033
"From 1 ha of vines. At the beginning of my wine career I came across a 1999 village Santenay (from Lequin-Colin) and encouraged everyone to buy as much as they could, whether as a party wine if they normally bought higher level Burgundies, or as a great opener if they were starting to exploring the region. Nearly a quarter of a century later I’ve found another that fits the bill! The nose offers bright red cherries, strawberry compote, baking spices, cacao nibs, violets, and touch of fresh cut pine. The palate is sappy, silky, rounded and supple with red plums and blood orange, cedary, spicy textured tannins, and a lightly salted anise finish. Pretty and notably high-toned for Santenay."
Tom Harrow, Head Wine Guru
Benoît Girardin is one of the most exciting new names to hit our list and already turning heads in France. The Girardin family boasts 13 generations of winemaking, and after years under his father Yves’ acclaimed domaine, Benoît launched his own label in 2020 with 8 hectares of prime vineyards across top Burgundy sites, including Chassagne-Montrachet, Meursault and Pommard.
On paper, the winemaking is classic and restrained - but in the glass, the wines are electric. They’re refined, silky and far more sophisticated than you’d expect at this stage of the domaine’s journey. This is the moment to get these wines in the cellar while pricing and availability are still friendly; they won’t stay under the radar for long.
This 2022 is drinking beautifully now, showing all its youthful fruit and energy. Over the next 2-3 years, we expect the bright primary fruit to integrate further with the spicy, earthy elements, developing more complex savoury notes while retaining that distinctive high-toned character. The wine should plateau around 2028-2030, offering its most harmonious drinking, before beginning a gentle decline after 2033. This isn't built for decades of cellaring, but rather for medium-term pleasure and food pairing.
Tasting Notes
AppearanceBright ruby red with a translucent rim, showing the wine's youthful energy.
NoseBright red cherries and strawberry compote lead, followed by warming baking spices and a touch of violet. There's an intriguing lift of fresh cut pine and cacao nibs that adds complexity without overwhelming the fruit.
PalateSappy and silky with excellent texture, showing red plums and blood orange alongside cedary, spiced tannins. The wine feels rounded and supple, with more elegance than you'd expect from this southern Côte de Beaune village.
FinishA lightly salted anise note carries through on the finish, adding savoury complexity to the bright fruit.
Overall impressionPretty and notably high-toned for Santenay, this captures everything we love about accessible Burgundy.
Food Pairings
In Burgundy, this style of village red pairs beautifully with the region's rustic cooking - think coq au vin, beef bourguignon, or wild boar terrine. The locals would serve it alongside roasted guinea fowl with morel mushrooms, or perhaps a simple côte de boeuf with bone marrow. The wine's bright acidity and silky tannins make it perfect with duck confit or rabbit braised in white wine, while its earthy undertones complement the region's famous escargots de Bourgogne.
We think this wine would go well with
Serve at 15-16°C - slightly cooler than most reds to preserve that lovely bright character. No need to decant; this wine is all about immediate charm and accessibility. Pour into Burgundy bowls if you have them, or generous Pinot Noir glasses that will concentrate the pretty aromatics without overwhelming the delicate structure.
Santenay sits at the southern end of the Côte de Beaune on predominantly limestone soils with clay subsoil and some iron-rich deposits. The vineyards face southeast and benefit from excellent drainage, producing reds with more structure than their immediate neighbours. The cooler climate and mineral-rich soils give Santenay wines their characteristic bright acidity and distinctive earthy undertone, making them some of Burgundy's most food-friendly village wines.
Santenay is often overlooked among Burgundy's village appellations, sitting in the shadow of more famous neighbours like Chassagne-Montrachet and Volnay. The AOC covers both red and white wines, though reds dominate, made exclusively from Pinot Noir with strict yield limits. What sets Santenay apart is its exceptional value proposition - these wines offer genuine Burgundian character without the premium pricing, making them ideal for discovering the region's distinctive terroir-driven style.
The 2022 growing season in Burgundy began with a worryingly dry spring that had vignerons checking soil moisture levels weekly, followed by a summer that alternated between intense heat and welcome rainfall. The vines handled the stress remarkably well, producing smaller berries with concentrated flavours, though yields dropped significantly across both the Côte d'Or and Chablis. Harvest began earlier than usual, with many producers picking in late August under bright skies.
What emerged from the cellars shows a vintage of surprising finesse given the challenging conditions. The Pinot Noirs display vivid fruit and firm tannins without the jammy weight you might expect from a hot year, whilst the Chardonnays retained their mineral backbone alongside ripe stone fruit flavours. We're finding the village-level wines particularly compelling right now, drinking beautifully with just a year or two of bottle age, though the premier and grand crus will reward patience until the late 2020s.
FAQs
What does this Santenay taste like?
Bright and silky with red cherries, strawberry compote, and warming spices, plus an intriguing touch of pine and cacao. It's more elegant and high-toned than most Santenay wines.
When should I drink this wine?
It's lovely now and will continue to develop beautifully until around 2033. Perfect for drinking over the next 5-6 years while it shows this gorgeous balance of fruit and spice.
What food pairs well with this wine?
Classic Burgundian dishes like coq au vin or duck confit, but also roasted chicken, pork tenderloin, or mushroom risotto. The bright acidity makes it very food-friendly.
How should I serve this wine?
Serve slightly cool at 15-16°C with no decanting needed. Use generous glasses to show off those pretty aromatics, and don't be afraid to open it on a weeknight - it's approachable and charming.
Is this wine worth cellaring?
It's built for medium-term drinking rather than long cellaring. Buy it to enjoy over the next few years while Benoît Girardin's prices are still friendly - this producer won't stay under the radar for long.
How does this compare to other Burgundy villages?
Santenay offers exceptional value in the Burgundy hierarchy. You get genuine village-level character and complexity at a fraction of the price of more famous appellations like Volnay or Gevrey-Chambertin.
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