A few weeks ago (seems like ages now!) we offered one of our perennial best selling red Burgundies: Sarrazin’s Bourgogne Rouge. It’s a best seller for good reason, but if you like that wine–and it seems that a lot of you do–you will absolutely love today’s feature. You see, the Sarrazin clan are based in Givry and that is their specialty, and one of their most important and historic parcels is called “Clos de la Roche.” Does that sound familiar to you? Yes, the same as the famous Grand Cru less than 40 miles to the north in Morey-Saint-Denis. Indeed, this vineyard produces wines of depth, richness, and complexity that far surpasses the humble “Givry” AOC. And of course the price is many, many times less than those bottles up the road. Pure Burgundy pedigree for a plebian price–don’t miss out, it’s very limited!
The Sarrazin name is an important one to know in the Côte Chalonnaise, the region just to the south of the Côte de Beaune that includes Maranges (which is just a click south from Santenay), Mercurey, and Givry. Headquartered in the tiny hamlet of Jamblès, within the Givry AOC, the domaine includes about 35 hectares of vineyards across a number of appellations (Givry, Rully, Mercurey, Maranges), all farmed according to lutte raisonnée (“reasoned struggle”) principles; this means that herbicides, pesticides, and any other non-organic inputs are prohibited except in serious emergencies. Brothers Guy and Jean-Yves Sarrazin have run the domaine since the mid-1990s, and in that time, they have raised their own profile along with those of the lesser-known villages they showcase. We have come to rely on Sarrazin for red (and white) Burgundies of uncommon depth and clarity at the lower end of the price spectrum,
Givry has long been considered the top appellation in the Côte Chalonnaise, and the Sarrazins’ “Clos de la Roche” plot is a gem of a vineyard: Situated at one of the highest altitudes in Givry, with vines averaging 40 years of age, the pebbly, limestone-rich site delivers reds of real structure. Long time readers are likely familiar with their “Sous la Roche” bottling, since we’ve offered that many times as well. This is the primo micro parcel of that vineyard, near the top of the hill and touching the Premier Cru “Champs Lalot.” All fruit from the site is hand-harvested and fermented on indigenous yeasts in stainless steel, after which it is transferred to François Frères oak barrels (20% new) for about a year before bottling.
The 2022 “Clos de la Roche” is a red Burgundy that both delivers now and promises good things to come. In the glass, it shines with a deep ruby color, moving to pink and magenta at the rim. The aromas are a brambly and rather dark-fruited mix of black raspberry, cherry, violets, loose tea, black pepper, and underbrush. It is medium-bodied and firmly structured, but not so firm as to be inaccessible now—with about 30 minutes in a decanter it blossoms and drinks beautifully at 60-65 degrees in Burgundy stems. There’s an appealing mixture of polished ripeness and earthy rusticity in this wine that will only grow more complex over the next 5-10 years. It’s a terrific find and a great match for the flavors in the attached recipe. Enjoy!
