2022 Louis Chenu Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Les Talmettes | Organic Burgundy Pinot Noir
2022 Louis Chenu Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Les Talmettes | Organic Burgundy Pinot Noir
"Les Talmettes" 1er, Savigny-lès-Beaune, Burgundy, France
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Tasting Notes
On the nose, the 2022 Les Talmettes reveals an intriguing duality that bridges Savigny’s classic ethereal aromatics with rich, savory warmth. It opens with lifted notes of dark, bold black tea leaves and a faint touch of cocoa on the nose, grounded by subtle floral highlights and crushed stone minerality. As it opens in the glass, these deeper, spiced aromatics unfold into high-toned fruits, showcasing a sophisticated balance between bright red berries and underlying savory structure.
The palate delivers a vibrant and layered core of fruit dominated by juicy wild strawberry, tart red fruit, and a pop of pomegranate, complemented by darker accents of black cherry and an unexpected hint of ripe stone fruit. The sunny generosity of the 2022 vintage lends a pleasant plumpness to the mid-palate, yet the high elevation and shallow limestone soils of Les Talmettes ensure the wine remains weightless, crystalline, and energetic on its feet.
The finish is silky, long, and satisfying, leaving lingering impressions of steep black tea, fine dried earth, and bright red berry skins. Supported by lacy, ultra-fine tannins and a lively pulse of natural acidity, this 2022 Premier Cru offers immediate charm and joy while possessing the structure to develop further nuance over 6 to 12 years in the cellar. -
Story
Nestled in the historic village of Savigny-lès-Beaune, Domaine Louis Chenu Père & Filles is a fifth-generation family estate defined by continuity, precision, and an unshakeable connection to the Côte d’Or. The story began in 1914 with the purchase of a single Premier Cru plot in Les Lavières. For nearly a century, the family farmed their land quietly behind the scenes, selling grape must and barrels to Burgundy’s traditional négociants. Today, the estate spans 9.5 hectares and is stewarded by sisters Juliette and Caroline Chenu, who returned home in the 2000s to modernize their legacy, transitioning the domaine to full estate bottling and leading it into a vibrant new era.
At the heart of the sisters' approach is an uncompromising commitment to organic stewardship. Recognizing that high-yielding vines and heavy cellar intervention mask the soul of Burgundy’s terroir, Caroline and Juliette converted the vineyard holdings to certified organic farming in 2006. Working predominantly with old vines, many ranging between 40 and 80 years in age, they prioritize soil health, biodiversity, and gentle farming. The naturally restricted yields from these venerable vines deliver concentrated fruit with bright, unforced natural acidity, capturing the precise personality of Savigny’s unique micro-climats.
In the cellar, the winemaking is minimalist, designed to highlight aromatic purity, silky texture, and drinkability rather than heavy extraction. Red grapes are hand-harvested, gently destemmed, and fermented using native yeasts, relying on gentle foot-treading (pigeage) to extract delicate color and supple tannins. After aging up to 18 months in neutral French oak, the wines are bottled with minimal sulfur, preserving their lifted floral aromatics and red-fruit freshness. The result is an expressive, transparent house style that honors five generations of family history while offering a modern, elegant lens into the heart of Burgundy.
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Somm Notes
To understand Burgundy, you have to understand Napoleon Bonaparte. The Napoleonic Code of 1804 mandated that land be divided equally among all heirs upon death, rather than going solely to the eldest son. Over two centuries, legendary vineyards were fractured into tiny, row-by-row parcels. To survive, the Négociant system was born: historic merchant houses like Louis Jadot buy grapes or juice from hundreds of small growers to blend and bottle under a unified house label, providing essential scale to a splintered region.
Against this backdrop, true Domaine wines—grown, vinified, and bottled entirely by a single estate—are notably distinct. Marked on labels by phrases like Mis en bouteille au domaine, these wines offer an unblended, pure reflection of a single family’s farming. Domaine bottlings highlight Burgundy’s focus on the Climat, the precise named vineyard plot whose specific soil, slope, and exposure give the wine its distinct character.
On rare occasions, a label will feature the word Monopole, indicating that a single Domaine owns 100% of an entire vineyard site. -
Region
Savigny les Beaune
Tucked slightly back from the main valley floor along the Rhoin stream, Savigny-lès-Beaune occupies a unique ecological sweet spot within the Côte de Beaune, the southern half of Burgundy’s iconic Côte d’Or escarpment. Framed by the slope of Mont Battois to the south and the majestic hill of Corton to the north, the village sits between power and finesse. While neighboring appellations like Pommard and Aloxe-Corton are known for denser, more muscular expressions of Pinot Noir, Savigny’s distinct position within a lateral valley allows it to craft wines celebrated for their perfume, agility, and supple texture.
This singular microclimate earned Savigny-lès-Beaune its own official Appellation d'Origine Protégée (AOP) in 1937. The village’s vineyards are split across two opposing hillsides facing each other across the Rhoin, creating a dynamic interplay of exposures. South-facing slopes absorb generous sunlight to ensure full phenolic ripeness, while north-facing slopes catch cool breezes channeled down from the forested combes of the Hautes-Côtes. This natural air movement acts as a cooling system, preserving bright red-fruit purity and crisp, natural acidity even in warmer vintages. Paired with a complex geological landscape—ranging from gravelly, high-elevation limestone to iron-rich alluvial clay on the lower slopes—Savigny delivers a terroir-driven style that is unmistakably its own.
Les Talmettes
Perched high on the hillside sitting directly above the famous Les Lavières vineyard, Les Talmettes is one of the most serene and ethereal Premier Cru micro-sites in Savigny-lès-Beaune. Tucked against the treeline at the top of the slope, this small parcel is sheltered from harsh northern winds and enjoys full southern sun exposure. Unlike the deeper, clay-heavy soils of the lower slopes, Les Talmettes features shallow topsoil dominated by sandy, calcareous clay and fragmented limestone. These thin, well-draining soils force the old vines to dig deep into the limestone bedrock, producing fruit that translates into a distinctly perfumed, mineral-driven expression of Pinot Noir.
It was granted Premier Cru status because it epitomizes the absolute peak of delicacy, aromatic purity, and terroir transparency in the region. While lower vineyards yield darker, heavier wines, Les Talmettes crafts a supple, silky Pinot Noir brimming with high-toned red berries, wild strawberries, and lifted floral aromas like violet and rose petal. It balances this fine-boned elegance with a bright, crystalline acidity and a subtle chalky minerality. Highly expressive and supple even in its youth, it possesses a precise, harmonious balance that allows it to evolve gracefully into a soft, complex beauty over years in the cellar.