Domaine Sarrazin Givry Sous La Roche Rouge 2016
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Wine & Spirits
Brothers Guy and Jean-Yves Sarrazin are based in Jamblès, in the hills to the west of Givry, where they farm this high parcel of 40-year-old vines planted in gravelly limestone. They allow the grapes to ferment spontaneously in temperature-controlled stainless steel, then leave the wine to rest in François Frères barrels (20 percent new) before they bottle it, without fining or filtering. Their 2016 has the coolness of altitude, with bright raspberry freshness and an undertow of darker, meaty savor. The iron-tinged tannins last, setting this up for sautéed liver with bacon and onions, or a simple country pâté.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
Noted as the preferred wine of King Henry IV of the late 1500s—though maybe because his mistress came from here!—Givry is a top red wine-producing village in the Côte Chalonnaise.
Its firmly structured reds, made exclusively from Pinot Noir, also boast plenty of blackberry and strawberry fruit with supple tannins that benefit from about two to five years in the bottle. The robust fruit and firmness on the palate in a Givry red begs for dishes such as mixed charcuterie, braised veal, stewed poultry or roasted duck.
Typical Givry whites have a fresh bouquet of lemon, lime, white flower licorice and can benefit and become softer with age.