• David Moreau

    • Santenay Rouge 1er Cru Clos des Mouches

    At a Glance

    • Size: 0.90 ha (2.22 ac)
    • Variety: Pinot Noir
    • Vine Age: Planted in 1964 and 1967
    • Terroir: Southeast-facing, mid-slope on very shallow iron-rich topsoil over hard limestone. Located on a crest and exposed to the cool, northern winds.
    • Viticulture: Sustainable
    • Vinification: 15% whole cluster, gravity transfer to concrete tank. Ambient yeast fermentation with no added SO2, one punch-down daily until mid-fermentation and one pump-over daily until the end of maceration. Aged for 12 months in barrels (30% new), followed by 5 months in tank. SO2 added after malolactic fermentation and at bottling. Bottled on a fruit day, waning moon.

    Additional Info

    The name references the historic presence of beehives in this Clos (mouches à miel is French for “honey bee”). This emblematic plot of the domaine was not replanted immediately after phylloxera; it wasn’t until decades later, in 1964, that vines were planted there again. Located in the heart of the 1er Crus of Santenay, the vineyard has a particularly favorable microclimate. The vines are pruned in Guyot Poussard and rootstock is massal selection only. Plantation density is 10,000 vines per hectare.