DOMAINE PETIT-ROY
Chorey-Les-Beaune
Burgundy
Located in Chorey-les-Beaune, Seiichi Saito runs Petit-Roy since 2017. Seiichi was first introduced to the world of wine when he attended the Beaune wine school in 2006. In the years that followed, he spent time working with a number of outstanding domaines, including Mugnier, Leflaive and Rousseau, and landing for a particularly long stint at Simon Bize.
Today, Domaine Petit-Roy comprehends 2.1ha of vines of regional appellations which Seiichi looks after personally and farms biodynamically, as well as a small portion of purchased fruit from like-minded growers based in and around Beaune.
In the cellar he favours whole cluster fermentations and gentle cap management so not to over extract and maintain verticality and brightness across the entire range. There is absolutely no new oak involved, everything is bottled strictly without filtration and SO2 is used rather sporadically, if at all, at bottling.
Bourgogne Aligoté
Vintage 2021
Style White
Region Savigny-les-Beaune, Burgundy
Varieties Aligoté
ABV 12%
Soils Clay, limestone, marl
Farming Biodynamic, Organic
Winemaking The fruit is sourced from two sites, one in Savigny Les Boutiéres on clay and marl and the other in Echevronne ‘En Nair’ on clay-limestone. Both parcels are worked in accordance with biodynamic and organic principles and are found on flatter land with a south-west exposure. Direct
pressing followed by a 12hr débourbage. Must is transferred to a mixture of 228L and 500L barrels where it slowly ferments dry over 60 days.
Ageing for 12 months in barrel and 8 in cuve before bottling. The wine is unfined, unfiltered and a small dose of sulfur is only added at the bottling stage.
Tasting Note A crisp electric Aligoté with tones of green apple, lime, fresh cream elderflower tones.
Hautes Côtes-de-Beaune
Vintage 2021
Style White
Region Fussey, Burgundy
Varieties Chardonnay
ABV 12.5%
Soils Clay, limestone
Farming Organic (not certified)
Winemaking Grapes are sourced from a parcel named En Maimbey in the village of Fussey, at the very top of the Hautes-Cotes AOC. Soils here are well drained and the terroir fresh, imparting great acidity to the grapes. Fruit is direct pressed and fermented in used 228L barrels for 60 days. This is followed by a maturation period of 12 months in barrels and 3 months in tank before bottling.
Tasting Note
Maranges, Les Loyères
Vintage 2020
Style White
Region Sampigny-les-Maranges, Burgundy
Varieties Chardonnay
ABV 12.5%
Soils Clay, hard limestone
Farming Organic, in conversion
Winemaking Chardonnay is planted on a south-facing hillside where the topsoils are rather thin and rich in limestone providing great freshness and minerality. The old vines here mean for much lower yields but exceptional concentration. Direct pressing and spontaneous fermentation in pièces bourguignonnes of 228L. Ageing lasted 15 months overall, 12 of which are spent in barrels and 3 in cuve later.
Tasting Note
Côtes de Beaune, Les Monsnières
Vintage 2021
Style White
Region Beaune, Burgundy
Varieties Chardonnay
ABV 12.5%
Soils Limestone, clay
Farming Organic
Winemaking Chardonnay from a single 0.34ha plot in Beaune, named Les Monsniéres. The vines are planted on the coteau with south west exposure and the soils are particularly calcareous. Grapes are pressed straight in to 228L used barrels, where the wine ferments over approximately two months. Once dry, it is aged for 12 months in barrel and a further 8 months in tank. Only 900 bottles produced from this tiny plot.
Tasting Note
Saint-Romain, En Chevrot
Vintage 2020
Style White
Region Saint Romain, Burgundy
Varieties Chardonnay
ABV 12.5%
Soils Limestone, clay, white marl
Farming Organic (not certified)
Winemaking En Chevrot is found on a plateau at the top of the hill of Saint-Romain, where the vines benefit from exceptional exposure, facing south. Chardonnay goes through a pneumatic press and feeds straight in to barrels, where it ferments and completes malolactic conversion too. Aged for 12 months on fine lees in barrel and a short passage of 3 month in tank before the bottling phase. Unfiltered, unfined.
Tasting Note
Pernand-Vergelesses, Les Combottes
Vintage 2021
Style White
Region Pernand-Vergelesses, Burgundy
Varieties Chardonnay
ABV 12.5%
Soils Clay, limestone
Farming Organic
Winemaking Chardonnay harvested on September 3rd from a tiny 0.17ha single vineyard planted on a south-west facing coteau. Soils here are rich in limestone which helped yields freshness and verticality to the final wine. Fruit is hand-picked, pressed and left to separate from the gross lees over 12-24 hours. Fermented in barrel on indigenous yeasts and aged (also in barrel) for 15 months.
Tasting Note
Fleurie
Vintage 2021
Style Red
Region Fleurie, Beaujolais
Varieties Gamay
ABV 12%
Soils Granit, sand
Farming Biodynamic
Winemaking 2021 was the first vintage vinifying a Beaujolais. Fruit is bought from the organic-certified Chateau de Poncié in Fleurie. More precisely, it is Gamay form multiple sites with an average of the vines between 20 and 25 years old. A rather brief whole cluster fermentation in cuve, followed by 12 months in barrel to fiish the sugars. Malolactic conversion takes place naturally at the end of the fermentation.
Tasting Note
Hautes Côtes de Beaune
Vintage 2021
Style Red
Region Natoux, Burgundy
Varieties Pinot Noir
ABV 11.5%
Soils Calcareous clay, hard limestone
Farming Biodynamic
Winemaking The fruit comes from a lesser know village north-west of Pommard, called Natoux. This is a very special site with great elevation and vines that are 40 years old on average, planted only highly calcareous soils. Whole bunch vinification in tank with a rather short maceration (10 days). Ageing in barrels which gained nice depth and elegance.
Tasting Note Despite the hot summer the grapes only converted 11.5% of alcohol, resulting in an incredibly fresh and delicate expression of Pinot Noir. Vibrant red fruit and wild berries, sustained aromatics and crunchy bitters with lip-smacking minerality on the finish.
Chorey-les-Beaune
Vintage 2020
Style Red
Region Chorey-les-Beaune, Burgundy
Varieties Pinot Noir
ABV 13%
Soils Abundant clay with deep topsoils, limestone
Farming Organic
Winemaking Fruit comes from Les Maladerottes, a small holding found on a plateau with rows planted north/south a stone’s throw away from where the winery is located. The terroir here is rather warm and dry and grapes yield excellent concentration despite a fairly short ripening season. Whole cluster fermented and aged in barrel for 19 months.
Tasting Note There is a lovely weight and depth about this wine, showing darker fruit tones and hints of attractive undergrowth framed by ripe yet firm tannins.
Hautes Côtes-de-Nuits
Vintage 2021
Style Red
Region Hautes Côtes-de-Nuits, Burgundy
Varieties Pinot Noir
ABV 12%
Soils Clay, limestone
Farming Organic, Biodynamic
Winemaking This starts with a cold soak of a couple of days to extract a little more from this delicate vintage. Follows a rather lengthy (2-2.5 weeks) maceration using whole bunches of grapes in large stainless steel vats. During maceration Seiichi avoids pumping over and performs some gentle punch downs only towards the end. After pressing, the wine transfers eventually to barrels where it is aged for 12 months.
Tasting Note
Bourgogne Rouge, Souvenir
Vintage 2021
Style Red
Region Pommard, Burgundy
Varieties Pinot Noir
ABV 12%
Soils Clay, limestone
Farming Biodynamic
Winemaking Traditionally vinified separately, Souvenir is effectively and assemblage of Seiichi’s vineyards Les Lormes and De Sousa. Both are found in Pommard, towards the bottom of the hill, however the former is planted at younger (20-25 yo) vines, while the latter represents some of the oldest vines he farms, all planted in 1949. These were vinified together due to the painfully low yields of 2021 (not enough to make both). 50% has been processed whole bunch, the remaining half is de-stemmed. Three-week maceration with some pigeage at the end to release all the sugars whcih are finished in barrel where the wine is aged for 12 month.
Tasting Note
Savigny-les-Beaune
Vintage 2020
Style Red
Region Savigny-les-Beaune, Burgundy
Varieties Pinot Noir
ABV 13%
Soils Clay, limestone
Farming Organic
Winemaking This wine is made with the assemblage of fruit harvested from three different lieu-dits in Savigny. More precisely Les Vermots and Godeaux which are cooler sites on calcareous soils that harvested in the second week of September and Planchot du Nord, a much warmer, early ripening site with deeper clay soils. Whole bunch maceration in cuve lasting approximately 30 days and aged in barrels.
Tasting Note