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Domaine La Croix Senaillet
Saint-Veran
France, Burgundy, Saint Veran
White
Winery Overview
The name Domaine de la Croix Senaillet is taken from the name of the cross bestowed upon the village of Davayé by one of its past mayors; Benoît Senaillet. Record has it that Benoit Senaillet donated this cross to this vine growing village in 1866 to replace one that was destroyed in 1793 during the french revolution. Tradition has it that since its blessing in 1867, Croix Senaillet has protected the people of the village and all those who pass by it on their way. All the estate’s plots of vines are set around the cross on the slopes of the village. It is interesting to note that Benoit Senaillet was a contemporary of the poet lamartine who lived at the entry to the village.
Domaine de la Croix Senaillet is in southern burgundy, in Davayé, in the very heart of the Mâconnais cru area. This little village close by to Mâcon, to the west of the Saône river, is steeped in history. In actual fact the estate is right near the famous prehistoric site of solutré. The climb up this spur of rock that is 492 metres above sea-level gives a wide ranging view over villages and the rolling vine-covered Mâconnais hills.
Maurice Martin settled in Davayé and then fully devoted his life to the vines from 1969. Due to his unfailing doggedness, a really strong character, with his wife and family to back him up, without whom nothing would have been possible, the family estate slowly grew. Today it covers a unique stretch of 60 plots of vines with an average age of around 30 years old on all the slopes of the village.
After training hard at ground level his sons, Richard and Stéphane Martin, took over the estate in 1992, bringing with them new blood, new ideas and a single watchword; quality.
Stéphane’s responsibility is the vines, he allows the soils and terroir to come through and give of their best, resulting in grapes that are of the finest that the Saint-Véran Cru appellation can give. Under impetus given by Richard, the cellarage, which was built in 1989, was modernised in 2000-2002, then in 2007-2008.
The 26 hectares of the estate are shared between a mosaic of almost 60 different plots of vines that are part of the "Grand Site de France" of Solutré – Pouilly – Vergisson. The vines, with an average age of 40 years old, are exclusively of the Chardonnay grape variety. Most of these plots face the rising sun on gentle slopes that extend from the eastern faces of Solutré and Vergisson.
The soil is marly chalk from the middle and upper Jurassic period. With this in alteration is clayey silt that can be carried along the slopes by rainwater. When this happens the soil is quite shallow and mainly chalky at the top of the slope and deeper and more clayey at the bottom.
Terroir
Soils are a patchwork of limestone and clay from Jurassic Period.
Viticulture
17 ha. scattered across all village hillsides on about 40 parcels known as : Maillettes, Bergades, Poncétys, Terres noires, Pommards, Chênes, Surigny, Prâgnes, Bruyère, Chailloux. Parcels face south-east, due east or due south and a few other are located on a plateau. Average age of vines 45 years-old. Vines are pruned according to the Mâconnais system, Guyot or Acure with around 10 buds.
Vinification
Destemming is used to avoid herbaceous taste. Slow and gentle pneumatic pressing guarantees purity of juice and extraction of the finest aromas. Very slow temperature-controlled alcoholic fermentation in stainless steel tanks generally ending by January. Malolactic fermentation follows.
Aging
Matured on fine lees in tanks and aged in barrels for 10 months.
Tasting Notes
Covered with relatively superficial limestone soils at the top of the hillsides and more clayey soils at the bottom of the slopes, the forty plots producing this vintage are carefully assembled to offer you a Chardonnay faithful to the characteristics of the appellation. From your glass, notes of citrus fruits, fleshy fruits, white flowers and minerality emerge. This wine will be perfect with a starter of shellfish, fish or as an accompaniment to goat cheese.
