A JM Vincent, and a Detroit Style Pizza with Beaujolais

Jean-Marc Vincent Santenay 1er Cru Le Beaurepaire

This bottle was a gift from a friend that I’ve been waiting for the right time to open and I can’t think of a better day than a cold, rainy, Michigan spring day while we wait for all the plants to wake up. An absolute star among the producers of the southern Cote de Beaune, there’s no question that Jean-Marc and his sister Anne-Marie have done a brilliant job managing their family flock of vineyards in the Santenay area, all of which being brought up organically and tended to for the specifics of their own micro-climate.

In Le Beaurepaire, that micro-climate happens to be quite reminiscent of some excellent spots a bit further north. Situated on a south-facing hill just above the village of Santenay, this vineyard is composed of Chassagne limestone and ‘Ostrea accuminata’ marl which, according to google images, is an awesome looking fossil typically found in this type of limestone marl. The cool thing about that particular type of fossil is that it’s also found in villages much further north such as Nuits-Saint-Georges, Gevrey-Chambertin, and Marsannay, but not really all that much in between, highlighting Santenay’s really cool geological history.

Jean-Marc Vincent is one of those producers I avoided for a little while because, like many, I don’t always have the money to gamble on a bottle I’ve never tried. I see people talking about JM Vincent all the time and I have always been curious, but no matter how tempting it has been in the past I always knew there was at least one other bottle I could spend that money on that I know I’d like for sure. As time went on, the reviews I would read got better and better and the prices slowly slipped beyond my normal range, so being able to taste a bottle like this is at treat.

**2018 Jean-Marc Vincent Santenay 1er Cru Le Beaurepaire Blanc, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy-** Being a 2018, I knew this was going to be an excellent bottle, and with the attention to detail Jean-Marc and Anne-Marie are known for in their vineyards, you can expect something with a purity of fruit.

On the nose, the first thing you smell is the ocean, like sea spray, which gives way to some intense lemon or lime juice. Orange zest eventually falls while notes of green apple, ripe pear, and white peach skins and fruit all take turns captivating the nose, all while that smell of the ocean lingers in the glass.

On the palate, the acidity and minerality are fantastic. It’s abundantly clear this came from limestone soil the moment it hits your tongue, with an electric citrus quality like if they took all the sweetness out of Rose’s Lime Juice and dialed it up to 11, added one drop at a time. The green apple, Bosch pear, and white peach from the nose are all here, though more integrated than on the nose as they appear to be working together. The wine has a medium body and weight which I wasn’t expecting, as I’ve had some Chassagnes that were on the hefty side and that was further north and farther out of the sun than here but this is so much lighter on its feet.

I really thought I’d get something more akin to a beefy Chassagne trying to pretend it’s a ballerina but this really is a fresh, light, and captivating white that I might confuse it for a Puligny Enseigneres or even a Chablis.  

ADDITIONAL PICTURE

We had the best Detroit Style pizza I’ve had outside of Detroit itself. I grew up on “square pizzas” and this little place in Traverse City, Michigan called Charles & Reid. And since I didn’t have any Zinfandels at hand, I decided to pair that with a bottle of 2023 Marcel Lapierre Le Beaujolais.

The Beaujolais was spectacular as always. One of those wines that really illustrates how Beaujolais is in fact between Burgundy and the Rhone. A nice mid-weight red with lots of black and red fruits with a relatively low tannin level that makes it tremendously food friendly.

The pizza was phenomenal and my first time getting anything from there. They have some kind of garlic butter that is made of magic and might need to be investigated by the FDA.