Aromas of rose petals, sweet berry fruit and spring flowers introduce Bize's 2019 Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Les Serpentières, a medium to full-bodied, layered and concentrated wine with deceptive depth and concentration despite its suave, elegant format. Long and tangy, this should age with style.

The 2017 Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Les Serpentières offers up an attractive bouquet of sweet strawberries, orange rind and rose petal, followed by a medium-bodied, ample palate with melting tannins that are largely enveloped by its juicy core of fruit. While this site seems to require hot, dry vintages to deliver profundity, this is a charming rendition that will drink well out of the gates.

From bottle, the 2015 Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Les Serpentières is the pick of the Domaine Simon Bize's Savigny portfolio, wafting from the glass with a lovely bouquet of strawberry, red cherries, licorice and dark chocolate. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, deep and ample, its rich core of fruit sustained by sappy acids, and its tannins fine-grained. The springs which percolate through the soils of Les Serpentières (and whose sinuous watercourses supposedly give the climat its name) mean that this site always excels in warm, dry vintages; and that is very much the case in 2015.

The 2014 Savigny les Beaune 1er Cru les Serpentières has a strict, stony bouquet with blackberry and cranberry leaf, a touch of rose petal developing with time. The palate is medium-bodied and slightly herbaceous on the entry, with hints of black tea towards the leafy finish that suggests this should be consumed in the short rather than long term. To be honest, at the moment it does not seem to be the best of the domaine’s Premier Crus.

Firm cherry nose, robust. Dense, full-bodied, and concentrated, with grip and spice; a robust style with a long chewy finish.