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Domaine Michel Sarrazin, Givry “Sous la Roche”

Côte Chalonnaise, Burgundy, France 2019 (750mL)
$45.00
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Fruit
Earth
Body
Tannin
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Alcohol
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Domaine Michel Sarrazin, Givry “Sous la Roche”

Today’s wine is perhaps our favorite kind of red Burgundy: The one from a relatively obscure, ‘outer-borough’ appellation—in this case Givry, in the Côte Chalonnaise—that performs like something from much-pricier real estate.


Finding wines like this is the key to indulging a Burgundy habit without going broke, and my already considerable appreciation for the tiny Michel Sarrazin & Fils domaine grew even deeper after my visit there in March. I had just spent three days in Beaune, working my way up and down the greatest vineyards of Burgundy’s Côte d’Or, so you might think the Sarrazin estate and wines would suffer by comparison. Well, they absolutely did not. Everything I tasted over-delivered—or rather, re-defined what I thought was possible in appellations such as Givry, Mercurey, and Maranges. Brothers Guy and Jean-Yves Sarrazin aren’t content to be judged alongside the best of Givry but the best of Burgundy, period, and that ambition shows in their wines. Today’s 2016, sourced from 40-year-old vines planted at one of the highest elevations in the appellation, is an exceptionally smart Burgundy buy. It’s delicious now and poised to get even better!


Since the 17th century, the Sarrazin family has farmed vineyards in the Côte Chalonnaise—the region immediately south of the Côte de Beaune. Headquartered in the tiny hamlet of Jamblès, within the Givry AOC, the modern-day domaine includes about 35 hectares of vineyards across multiple appellations (Givry, Rully, Mercurey), 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. Guy and Jean-Yves Sarrazin have run the estate 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, and in a generous (if short) vintage like 2016, their lineup was impressive to say the least.




Givry has long been considered the top appellation in the Côte Chalonnaise, and the Sarrazins’ “Sous la Roche” (“under the rock”) 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. 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 2015 “Sous la Roche” is a red Burgundy that both delivers now and promises good things to come. In the glass, it shines with a translucent 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 5-7 years. It’s a terrific find and a great match for the flavors in the attached recipe. Enjoy!



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Country
France
Region
Côte Chalonnaise, Burgundy
Sub-Region
FranceGivry
Soil
Clay & Limestone
Farming
'Lutte Raisonnée'
Blend
Pinot Noir
Alcohol
13.5
OAK
20% New French
TEMP.
60-65
Glassware
Burgundy Stems
Drinking
Now-2025
Decanting
30 Minutes
Pairing
Five-Spice Duck Breast w/ Blackberries

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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