Description
Domaine Michel Sarrazin & Fils, Maranges
If you read older books about Burgundy, or spend any time with someone who’s worked with these wines for a long time, the archetype of “classic” red Burgundy is an earth-driven, tension-filled Pinot Noir that reveals its myriad charms over time rather than all at once. Burgundy is a more bucolic, farmstead-scale wine culture relative to flashier precincts like Bordeaux, so when someone describes a Burgundy wine as “old school,” I’m like a moth to a flame. Domaine Michel Sarrazin, as I’ve had the pleasure of learning firsthand, is decidedly old school. Today’s wine from Maranges is not merely a “Burgundy lover’s Burgundy” because of its under-the-radar appellation but because of its resolutely classical styling.
The aromas alone are enough to make you swoon: my mind immediately goes to the vineyards in fall and winter and the smell of turned earth and burning vine-prunings in the air. Brothers Guy and Jean-Yves Sarrazin, who’ve run their tiny family domaine since the 1990s, have consistently wowed us with their staunchly traditional, modestly priced Burgundies from both the Côte de Beaune and Côte Chalonnaise. Even before my visit to the domaine a few years ago—which undoubtedly sealed the deal—I was consistently blown away by the quality/price ratio of everything they make. And at the top of the list is this Maranges, an evocative red beauty from the southern tip of the Côte de Beaune. This wine’s mix of deep black cherry fruit and smoky, mineral-rich earth is catnip to devoted Burg-o-philes like myself: I can’t get enough, especially at this price!
There’s a reason we’ve offered so many wines from this estate: They consistently deliver some of the best value-for-dollar in all of Burgundy. Because the term “hidden gem” is so overused, I’m loath to deploy it here—except that Sarrazin is one of the best examples of a hidden gem one could cite. Perched at about 1,000 feet elevation in the tiny hamlet of Jamblès (pop. ~150), Sarrazin’s “home” appellation is Givry, in the Côte Chalonnaise, but their 35 hectares of vineyards span a variety of AOCs, including Rully, Mercurey, and Maranges. All their farming is carried out according to lutte raisonnée (“reasoned struggle”) principles; this means that herbicides, pesticides, and any other non-organic inputs are prohibited except in emergencies.
Maranges, just south of Santenay, is unique in that most of its vineyards, including its Premier Crus, skew south-southwest in aspect; this is a departure from the Côte de Beaune norm, although Maranges is geologically consistent with its neighbors. The Sarrazin holdings in Maranges are in two contiguous sites, “Sur la Rigole” and “Sur la Verpillere,” in the village of Cheilly-lès-Maranges: they are the two most southeastern sites in the AOC and have a southeasterly exposition, with vines averaging 30 years of age rooted in pebbly limestone and clay. The Sarrazins hand-harvest all fruit from their two hectares of vines in Maranges and ferment it on indigenous yeasts in stainless steel; aging is carried out in François Fréres oak barriques (50% new) for 12 months before being bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Typically, wines from Maranges and Santenay fall into the lighter end of the red Burgundy spectrum, but this 2019 displays the kind of depth and early-drinking charm that has been typical of the vintage. In the glass, it’s a deep ruby moving to pink and magenta at the rim, with a well-concentrated nose of black and red raspberries, red currant, cranberry, damp roses and violets, crushed stones, underbrush, and a hint of licorice. It’s juicy and rather plush, but with plenty of freshness lending backbone and lift. Leaning towards medium-plus in body and already drinking nicely after about 30 minutes in a decanter, it will unquestionably improve over the next 5-7 years—not bad at all for such a well-priced wine! Serve it at 60 degrees in Burgundy stems with your go-to “country French” preparation—coq au vin, steak frites, etc.—and celebrate what is surely one of your shrewdest purchases of the year. Cheers!
