1999 Leroy Savigny 1er Cru ‘Serpentieres’

Purchased on release. Decanted and poured.

Very dark color, with some brown at the rim. Beautiful aromas feature black cherry, red raspberry and a significant touch of sous-bois (hardwood forest after the rain). The aromas are reminiscent of a wine at 10 - 15 years, not 20 plus.
The palate is moderately rich, the fruit is now far more black than red. There are moderate tannins, fine but lively. There is fresh acidity and excellent balance. The texture expands and coats the mouth. There is just a touch of earthiness. Again, this tastes half its age. The finish lasts half a minute. An outstanding example of classic Savigny, among the best I’ve had in decades of appreciating the village. Rated 93.5. Drink or hold a few more years. In the end, I have to say that this is simply not worth 10X the price of other Savignys. I won’t be buying, but please feel free to invite me if you are going to open one.

Dan Kravitz

Sounds great. Like you, I am fully priced out of Leroy.

Thanks for the note, Dan. I have marveled at the price she can get for her Savigny. I have only had the ‘02, which was also a wine in the low nineties, but no better than the Ecard I had alongside.

There are so many wonderful wines from Savigny. Prices have skyrocketed along with the rest of Burgundy, but the values remain the same… prices well below Beaune, Pommard, Volnay but wines often as good or better. Ironically, one of my very favorite producers comes from another side of the family. The wines of Simon Bize are wonderful. I’ve never had his ‘Serpentieres’, but his Vergelesses is beautiful. The wines are easy to find in France, not so much in the U.S.

Dan Kravitz