Description
From the first sip of Michel Sarrazin Bourgogne Rouge, it was love. This is the first wine from this producer I’ve tasted, but it will not be the last. Michel Sarrazin Bourgogne Rouge has all the perfume that I expected from Pinot Noir, but somehow it is more lovely. The nose of Michel Sarrazin Bourgogne Rouge 2019 smells of Red fruits, floral, spice, mineral, but pure and vibrant. The palate of Michel Sarrazin Bourgogne Rouge is light and lithe with a strong mineral and acid core. But the perfume from the nose flows across the palate and this vintage of Michel Sarrazin Bourgogne is a real joy.
Michel Sarrazin Bourgogne Rouge is drinking perfectly now. I would hate to lose that perfume, but there is the promise of more or different qualities with evolution. I’ll be drinking a couple more Michel Sarrazin Bourgogne Rouge in 2021 and leaving a couple to track the evolution.
I am struggling to think of a food that would do justice to the Michel Sarrazin Bourgogne Rouge, maybe a mushroom risotto or pumpkin soup with sourdough bread.
Michel Sarrazin Bourgogne Rouge 2019, and all wines are eligible for at least 5% off any six bottles. And 10% off any 12 bottles. Some wines will be at a more significant discount and not subject to further discounts.
The Sarrazin family has a long history of producing quality wine from the very unsexy Cote de Chalonnaise. They have 35 hectare in the appellations of Bourgogne, Bourgogne Aligote, Maranges, Givry, and Mecrurey. They use the lutte raisonnée method of farming, which means they only use chemicals when other options do not work. The vineyards are at high altitude (by Burgundian standards). They make 25 wines, all of which are matured in oak from Francois Freres. The fruit is 100% destemmed, and the wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered. The wines at Michel Sarrazin are mineral, pure and perfumed. Freshness sits on top of the beautiful rusticity of the wines.
Michel Sarrazin Bourgogne Winery Notes
“Our vineyard with a high planting density (10,000 vines / hectares); each vine is considered an important link for the success of a great wine.
These are manually visited five to six times a year in order to obtain a good balance. We thus harvest very high quality bunches.
A gentle vinification allows to develop all the finesse but also the density of wines with a modern style but knowing how to find the originalities of our terroirs and the specificity of our Burgundian grape varieties.
Each year our wines are aged in 228-liter Burgundian rooms for a period of 12 to 18 months, carefully selected oak barrels.
While respecting tradition, our work has only one goal; that of making solid, fruity wines that will bring great pleasure to everyone at different times of life.”
Bourgogne
The entry-level to Burgundy. The wines can be from vineyards outside of the better appellations or declassified from high ranks. That means you may be drinking a Grand Cru vineyard at Bourgogne pricing! Quality is variable, but the great producers put as much care into their entry-level as they do their great wines.
Cote de Chalonnaise
The Cote de Chalonnaise is in the South of Burgundy. Further south than the Maconnais, the Cote de Chalonnaise isn’t nearly as well regarded as its northern neighbours. There are a handful of top-class producers who source fruit or have an estate in the Cote de Chalonnaise; if you can find them, they are worth their weight in Gold. Bouzeron Aligote is a highlight. Rully, Mercurey, and Givry are all able to make outstanding wines if given a bit of love.
Burgundy
The classic part of Burgundy, known as the Cote D’Or (the slope of gold), is essentially one vineyard that is 60km long and maybe 5km at its widest. From this limestone ridge, some of the most complex, long-lived and aromatic wines are produced from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The Cistercian monks who owned the land codified the entire region, and so each small plot has a name.
Pinot Noir
This is the most elusive grape. It is relatively early ripening and extremely sensitive to terroir. Its perfect place on earth is the Cote d’Or in Burgundy. So haunting are great red Burgundy’s charms that growers everywhere try to emulate them. Pinot Noir is not just a one-trick pony. Apart from the best reds in the world, you can find world-class Pinot Noir rosé and sparkling. You can even find sweet wines, whites on occasion, and I’ve tasted a decent fortified Pinot Noir too.
Lutte Raisonée
The reasonable struggle or reasonable fight. Grows who use lutte raisonée use organic or biodynamic practices but will use chemical sprays if the crop is at risk. It is a common occurrence all over the world, but many people do not talk about it. Trust the French to coin a phrase that makes it sound sexy and appealing.
French Wine
The land that so many New World (not European) wine producers look to emulate. To generalise about French wine, I would say it is savoury, lighter-bodied wines. They are the definition of elegant, complex. There are many styles, though. And there is a French wine for every palate. They lead the world in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in Burgundy. Sparkling Wine in Champagne. Cabernet and Merlot in Bordeaux. Syrah(Shiraz) and Grenache in the Rhone Valley. Riesling, Gewurztraminer, and Pinot Gris in Alsace. Sauvignon Blanc, and Chenin Blanc in the Loire Valley. Gamay in Beaujolais.
Wine
Wine is the result you get from fermented grape juice. There is proof of wine production dating back 8000 years ago. Fashions, innovations and many other factors have influenced the way wine has evolved over the years.
The wine grape is impressive. It contains everything you need to make grape wine except for the yeast, which lives on the outside of the skins.
Human inputs can influence the final product, including the viticulture (growing) choices. And the winemaker can shape the wine to a point too.
The best wines of the world often refer to terroir. Terroir is a French term that refers to all the climatic, geological and topographical influences on a specific piece of land. And it is true that neighbouring vineyards, grown identically, can taste noticeably different.
Red Wine
Fun fact; most of the colour for wines comes from the skins. There are only a handful of grapes that have red juice. Alicante is the most well known of these grapes.
By macerating the juice on the skins, the wine gains tannin and flavour. Certain compounds change the chemistry of the wine too.
Red wines tend to have higher alcohol. More tannin and more oak flavours compared to other styles of wine. But the thousands of grapes and terroirs they grow in influence this.
The Wine Depository
I, Phil, have been running The Wine Depository since 2011. The Wine Depository exists to make sure you are drinking the good wines. You can browse and pick what is interesting to you. Or you can make contact with me. I’ll make sure you get what you want, to your palate, to your budget and to your door.
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