Domaine de la Sarazinière has had a meteoric rise to prominence at SommSelect. At our tastings, we’ve gone from “Hey, who’s this?” to “Hey, the new Sarazinière releases are here!” in record time. The Mâcon, once a mostly overlooked “outer borough” in Burgundy, has been gentrifying rapidly, but prices have yet to catch up with the quality of the wines—and I can’t think of a better example of this phenomenon than Sarazinière’s phenomenal “Le Pavillon” bottling. 

This wine not only inspires a deeper dive into the limestone-rich terroir of Mâcon-Bussières, it seems to transcend its source village and draw inspiration from every corner of Burgundy: there’s Chablis-like freshness and Chassagne-like structure married with the Mâcon’s trademark ripeness, all for a mere $32. “Le Pavillon” is a very impressive wine, especially in a vintage like 2019, and it remains mostly undiscovered, for now. That’s not for a lack of trying on our part, of course—this is our second offer of “Le Pavillon” and I’m sure it won’t be our last!

The world of wine is becoming more aware of the quality revolution in Mâcon with each passing day, and the arrival 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 village of Bussières is among them. 

Created by Claude Seigneuret in 1926, the Domaine de la Sarazinière estate name stems from the small lieu-dit surrounding the original family home in the aforementioned village of Bussières. Today, the father-son team of 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. 

For “Le Pavillon,” that entails two small parcels in Bussières, one planted to 70-year-old vines and the other to 15-year-old vines. Following a rigorous sorting and a manual harvest in the fall of 2019, the Chardonnay fermented on native yeasts and then aged entirely in stainless steel for 12 months. It was bottled unfined with a minimal addition of sulfur. 

Sarazinière’s “Le Pavillon” is a brilliant marriage of two Bussières vineyards, young and old, and the ultra-generous 2019 vintage. It pours a radiant silver-yellow in the glass and erupts with a gustatory orchestra of crisp yellow apple, lemon rind, melon skin, white peach, damp white flowers, and a cascade of crushed limestone. A taut, mineral-filled Burgundy arrives on the palate and delivers a vibrantly refreshing backbone of acidity and fleshy ripeness that defies its stainless steel élevage. Serve in Burgundy stems around 50 degrees, pour heavy, and drink often because this is the classy, over-achieving wine I want to surprise people with on a regular basis. Because of its “drinkability,” you won’t hate yourself for opening it too soon and because of its affordability, you certainly won’t mind opening another right after. Cheers!