Belland Santenay 1er “Gravières” rouge 2019

Roger and Julie Belland are 5th and 6th generation growers in Santenay – their wines are perennial favorites among our readers, offering early drinking and friendly pricetags. Belland’s 2019s are magnificent, as classy and supple as anything they’ve produced.

The nose shows violets, gingerbread, toast, and wild cherries. The texture is extraordinary — fine-grained tannins coated perfectly with smooth Pinot fruit and a fresh line of minerality. Burghound called it “outstanding,” awarding 92 points and finding “silky minerality” and a “complex, balanced and impressively long finish.”