Santenay

Compared to the other villages along the Côte d’Or Santenay has a slightly different atmosphere. The recently renovated village square, the Place du Jet d'Eau, gives it a bit more of a modern touch. The large square is surrounded by a hotel, a few winemaker’s houses, a couple of restaurants and a wine shop.

Santenay consists of four parts – Santenay-le-Bas, Santenay-le-Haut, Saint-Jean and La Crée – spread out over the east- to south-facing slope below the Montagne des Trois Croix. Santenay-le-Bas, lower Santenay, is the main part of the village down by the railroad. Santenay-le-Haut, the oldest part part of Santenay which was called Narosse in the past, is another 500 metres up the slope, with La Crée just to the south. Just below the steep cliffs of the Montagne des Trois Croix you find Saint-Jean with its old church.

The annual production of wine is 16 185 hl (2 158 000 bottles). This makes Santenay the fifth largest commune on the Côte in this respect. Only Meursault, Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune and Gevrey-Chambertin produce more.

In addition to this Santenay has gained fame thanks to the casino and the thermal springs. The health resort is currently closed for restoration, but the history of the springs rich in lithium goes back to Roman times. The first casino was opened in 1892. In 1914, when World War I broke out, the casino closed and was not opened until 1957.

This is mainly red wine country, with a fraction of white thrown in. Altogether there are eleven premier crus, all applicable on both red and white. The premier crus are grouped together in three locations – one at the northeast bordering to Chassagne-Montrachet, one above the village of Santenay and one to west bordering to the Maranges. The rest is village and regional appellations. There are no grand crus here.

The lower village was earlier known as a trade centre. With the arrival of the railway its position became even stronger. What is today known as the Place du Jet d'Eau was a covered market in the 17th century with three annual fairs and a weekly market. It survived until the middle of the 19th century when a fountain was built instead. It is also down here that you will find the most recent of Santenay’s churches, the Notre Dame du Rosaire. The old church, in Saint-Jean, was considered a bit out of the way and there was a need for a church in the modern centre of Santenay.

Parts of the Saint-Jean church dates back to the 13th century. A year after the Notre Dame du Rosaire was opened, in 1892, the Saint-Jean church was closed. It became a historical monument in 1928 and in 2004 many years of restoration work came to an end.

Related reading on Bergman's Bourgogne:
• Next village – Dezize-lès-Maranges
• Previous village – Saint-Aubin

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