Vallet Freres Santenay, Premier Cru - Les Gravieres

The vineyards of Gravieres are just north of the village and are one of 12 'premier cru' sites. Authentic Pinot flavours - lightly smoky with 'sweet and sour', red fruits and a little earthiness and a tinge of acidity too on the finish.

This winery represents real attention to detail, delicate selection of the best grapes and above all a passion for making superb wines. The Vallet family own holdings in Gevrey-Chambertin - the entire single vineyard of Clos de la Justice - Beaune Epenottes (Premier Cru) and Charmes-Chambertin (Grand Cru). They also source the best grapes from growers in other areas, with whom they have worked closely for many years.

The Burgundies they produce are complex, fine and taste of the old-fashioned, 'real' Pinot Noir that their provenance would suggest.

3 Michelin star chef Gordon Ramsay is a big fan and has sourced 5 Vallet wines for his restaurant's wine list.

The wine is put into French oak barrels where it matures for a minimum of two years with racking off two or three times a year (to gently remove natural deposits). They don't have a fancy bottling line here - usually a pipe is inserted into each barrel which is joined to four taps, and the wine flows by gravity straight from barrel into the bottles without any filtration and just a candle to check that it's clear!

Press Quote
"For some years this quality enterprise has been run by M. Vallet, the nephew of the late Pierre Bourée. The wines are made in what is clearly the 'ancienne methode', meaning there is no destemming here, an extremely long 'cuvaison' of 21-26 days, a high temperature fermentation, the least possible racking, never any filtration, and bottling of the wine by the barrel. One wishes there were more people like Vallet in Burgundy."
ROBERT PARKER

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