“Theological, nourishing and death-defying”. The local motto of the large village
of Savigny-les-Beaune certainly makes some bold claims about the wines that are
produced here. Many would swear to all three, however, after tasting these wines,
which are amongst the finest in Burgundy and surely one of its best-kept secrets.
The village itself nestles in a valley of the Côte d’Or escarpment, near to the
town of Beaune (‘les’ means ‘near’ in French). Most of the wines made here are
red (Pinot Noir of course) but around 10% are white, from the Chardonnay grape.
The valley that the village is situated in has made Savigny-les-Beaune one of the
most fruitful regions of Burgundy with a huge volume of wine produced—lots of
south-facing slopes, with the lower ones full of fertile silt from the Rhoin
river. Higher up the valley, think of the Corton mountain (home of some of the
most valuable and revered white Burgundy wines) and you’ll get an idea of the
quality and the geology here. Although there are no Grand Cru plots, the 22
Premier Cru climats of Savigny-les-Beaune are just
waiting to be discovered. But don’t merely confine your pleasures to the wines
from around here – get to know the charming village, and visit if you can. Its
chateau houses a collection of racing cars and fighter planes (which chateau
worth its salt wouldn’t?) and there’s a church with a glorious Romanesque bell
tower to enjoy too. Throw in great campsites and wine festivals, and it remains
one of the best kept secrets of Burgundy. And whoever engraved the stonework of
some of the houses here summed up the most compelling reasons to drink which have
ever been recorded. The reasons for the consumption of wine in Savigny go as
follows: ‘the arrival of a guest, current thirst, future thirst, not to mention
the quality of the wine, and all those you’d care to imagine’. We’ll drink to
that.
Savigny-les-Beaune