Site: Savigny is a pretty village in a small valley north of Beaune. The vineyard of Les Clous is close to Les Serpentières and enjoys a very good due south exposure.History & tradition: in Burgundy, the word "clou" means "clos".Soil: marl and limestone from the Bathonian age; light soil with a reddish coloration, strewn with sharp stones.
Viticulture
Plantation density: 10,000 vinestocks/ha in order to extract as much as possible from the terroir and limit the production of each vine stock.Pruning: Guyot.Yield: 43 hl/ha - purposely low, in order for the grapes to reveal every nuance of the terroir.Grape Supply: grapes and wines provided by regular supply partners (long-term contracts).
Vinification
Maceration: - maceration and vinification take 2 to 3 weeks - indigenous yeasts- maceration and fermentation temperatures under total control.Joseph Drouhin seeks total control of the process of extraction; extraction gives colour and substance but should never be detrimental to the finesse and typical character of the wine."Pigeage" (punching down of the cap during fermentation): once a day until half of fermentation is done; one pumping over ("remontage") per day till the end of the fermentation.Pressing: vertical press; separation of free run juice from pressed juice.
Ageing
Type: in barrels (10% in new oak).Length: 12 to 15 months.Origin of the wood: French oak forests.Weathering of the wood: Joseph Drouhin insists on total control of the weathering for a period of 3 years, one of the contributing elements to the elegance of the wine.Follow-up: barrel by barrel.Throughout the ageing process, decisions are taken only after careful tasting evaluation, barrel by barrel. The data obtained is then completed through technical analysis. As with every other Joseph Drouhin wine, absolute priority is given to the true expression of terroir and character of the vintage.
Tasting note by Véronique Boss-Drouhin
"The wine displays a nice shining deep red colour. The nose is both floral and fruity, with some spicy hints.The first impression on the palate is refined and supple, and later the tannins, still firm, announce a good ageing potential".
Serving
Temperature: 16°C (61-62°F).Cellaring: 5 to 20 years.
