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Domaine de la Sarazinière, Mâcon-Serrières “Les Monterrains”

Other, France 2017 (750mL)
$30.00
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Domaine de la Sarazinière, Mâcon-Serrières “Les Monterrains”

Deep in the Burgundian town of Serrières, on the fringe of Pouilly-Fuissé, a microscopic father-and-son domaine hand-cultivates and crafts a single wine from one, granite-rich parcel: “Les Monterrains.” Not only is this wine harder to find than most cult labels, but it is also extremely affordable, full of gusto, and incomprehensibly delicious. So, which grape is rooted in this granitic parcel? A real “terroirist” already knows: Gamay! Although we’re not quite in Cru Beaujolais territory, and the overwhelming majority of production in Mâcon is Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, there are extremely special outcroppings of granite peppered about that beg for Gamay. That’s what makes today’s “Les Monterrains” so stimulating: For a humble $30 entrance fee, a tiny, family-run farmstead is giving you full access into this rarefied slice of terroir. 
Imagine the excitement a top Cru Beaujolais producer brings, plus an added layer of uniqueness, and that’s a good starting point for Domaine de la Sarazinière. This 2017 explodes with a multi-layered mouthful of succulent berry fruit, finely crushed granite, and disarmingly supple aromatics. It will take you to a Burgundian world you’ve never experienced before—and that’s what great wine is all about. Quantities are very limited. 
Created by Claude Seigneuret in 1926, the Domaine de la Sarazinière estate name stems from the small lieu-dit (named site) surrounding the original family home in the village of Bussières. Today, Phillippe and Guillaume Trebignaud endeavor to capture the terroir and the character of each vintage. Strict non-interventionists, they craft their wines as nature intended; although uncertified, the duo utilizes organic practices and are convinced that only the most biodiverse soils can communicate the true terroir of their vineyards. 

In that same vein, the world of wine is becoming more privy to top-quality Mâconnais wines with each new vintage, and the presence of Burgundy titans such as Lafon and Leflaive drives the point home even further. As with every region, there are small pockets of greatness throughout the appellation, and the entire village of “Serrières is one of those gems. The terroir—red sand on granite—is what originally tempted Sarazinière into purchasing vines here five years ago. 

Following a rigorous sorting and manual harvest in September of 2018, most of the Gamay was de-stemmed and a 20% whole-cluster fermentation occurred with native yeasts and minimal amounts of sulfur. As they wanted a pure snapshot of traditional Burgundian wine, carbonic maceration was entirely avoided. The élevage took place in large, old wooden vats for a total of just under one year. It was bottled without filtration. 

I’ve quickly learned that Sarazinière’s Gamay bottlings are unique creatures: They show intense vigor, soil essence, and an incredible purity of fruit that pulls you in myriad directions—is it Rhône, Loire, Cru Beaujolais, Burgundian Pinot Noir? It usually contains characteristics of all four! But if you allow the wine to open up over 30 minutes in large Burgundy stems, around 60 degrees, the soul of Gamay on granite soils shines bright. This wine is lush, brambly, supple, and brimming with crushed stone minerality. It fills your mouth with ripe black cherry, wild strawberry, red licorice, red plum, soft spices, blackcurrant, grape stems, and a persisting crushed rose petal/violet aroma. As a Burgundy and Cru Beaujolais fanatic, it’s damn near impossible to keep my hands off this wine. It’s in a peak drinking window right now, and will stay there over the next 2-3 years, so take a page out of my book and load up. Cheers!
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Country
France
Region
Other
Sub-Region
FranceMâcon-Serrières
Soil
Red Sand & Granite
Farming
Practicing Organic
Blend
Gamay 100%
Alcohol
13.0
OAK
Fermented in Old Wooden Vats
TEMP.
60
Glassware
Burgundy Stem
Drinking
Now-2023
Decanting
15 Minutes
Pairing
Smoked Sausage Cassoulet

France

Bourgogne

Beaujolais

Enjoying the greatest wines of Beaujolais starts, as it usually does, with the lay of the land. In Beaujolais, 10 localities have been given their own AOC (Appellation of Controlled Origin) designation. They are: Saint Amour; Juliénas; Chénas; Moulin-à Vent; Fleurie; Chiroubles; Morgon; Régnié; Côte de Brouilly; and Brouilly.

Southwestern France

Bordeaux

Bordeaux surrounds two rivers, the Dordogne and Garonne, which intersect north of the city of Bordeaux to form the Gironde Estuary, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The region is at the 45th parallel (California’s Napa Valley is at the38th), with a mild, Atlantic-influenced climate enabling the maturation of late-ripening varieties.

Central France

Loire Valley

The Loire is France’s longest river (634 miles), originating in the southerly Cévennes Mountains, flowing north towards Paris, then curving westward and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean near Nantes. The Loire and its tributaries cover a huge swath of central France, with most of the wine appellations on an east-west stretch at47 degrees north (the same latitude as Burgundy).

Northeastern France

Alsace

Alsace, in Northeastern France, is one of the most geologically diverse wine regions in the world, with vineyards running from the foothills of theVosges Mountains down to the Rhine River Valley below.

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