Description
Domaine Seguin-Manuel, Savigny-lès-Beaune “Nature”
Today’s wondrous offering is the ultimate litmus test for votaries of Burgundian terroir. Under the singular guidance of 200-year-old Domaine Seguin-Manuel, this 2018 Savigny-lès-Beaune delivers one of the region’s most soil transparent and deliciously refined expressions of Pinot Noir: organic hand-farmed fruit; spontaneous fermentation; evolution in neutral French oak; zero sulfur during élevage…I can think of no other red Burgundy more deserving of the title “Nature.”
This classically styled and exuberant Pinot overflows with vibrant perfume, plush berry fruit, and a pure vein of limestone minerality. It is gorgeous, makeup-free Burgundy unmarred by machines, chemicals, oak spice, and additives—a realizable dream for connoisseurs who’ve long wanted to experience this regal terroir in all its unadulterated glory. Best of all, I’ve found that Seguin-Manuel’s village wines hit a thrilling second gear around age five (which this wine is quickly approaching), so grab up to 12 bottles for enjoyment now and over the next few years!
With the historic hill of Grand Cru Corton looming nearby, both Savigny-lès-Beaune and its immediate neighbor, Pernand-Vergelesses, are extremely fertile hunting grounds for some of Burgundy’s best values. These villages might have been overlooked a generation ago, but in today’s landscape, transcendent talent is lurking around every corner.
Take Domaine Seguin-Manuel. One of the oldest continuously producing domaines in Burgundy, their wines have garnered acclaim all the way back to the 1800s. The current proprietor, Thibaut Marion, is a master of his craft who specializes in impossibly detailed, elegant, and ethereal red Burgundies. Macerations are generally on the shorter side and new oak is employed very judiciously—if at all. Burgundy, prone to trends as any region, has seen a shift in recent years towards a style that employs a lot of whole cluster, concentration, and new oak, emphasizing luxury at the expense of terroir transparency. We like a great many of those wines, but they are not what Thibaut is after. His style is classical, mineral, polished, and endlessly pure.
Savigny is situated in such a way that it has a lot of vines with southern exposure, which favors the later-ripening Pinot Noir. This makes it one of the few villages/appellations in the Côte de Beaune where the overwhelming majority (~90%) is for red wine production. Here, Thibaut manually farms a handful of hectares with an extremely impressive average vine age of 50 years. The way these old vines express themselves here is in elegance and aromatic complexity rather than weight. In the cellar, the grapes ferment spontaneously in stainless steel before being transferred into well-used French barrels for 12-18 months. There are absolutely no additions of sulfur throughout the élevage. Only a touch is included at bottling to ensure preservation during the wine’s transatlantic travels.
Serve Domaine Seguin-Manuel’s 2018 “Nature” as you would any great Burgundy: slightly chilled at 60 degrees in bulbous stems, to be savored slowly. The always-comprehensive Burgundy Report remarked upon the wine’s beautiful freshness and “direct, super energy,” ultimately calling it a “fine, dynamic wine.” I echo those sentiments and more: This is remarkably pure and poised, with a seamless mid-palate full of ripe wild berry fruit, forest floor, and crushed wet stone. As this approaches its fourth birthday, there’s so much to love here, especially its “drinkability.” Enjoy!!
