Le Fonteny

This is just above Corbeaux but further towards the Combe de Lavaux, thus north-facing, although it gets sun all day. The topsoil is especially feeble and the underlying rock is very hard. Unsurprising then that the wine should offer both ripeness and precision, and very successfully. Drink 2023-2028.

The harvest was done early and quickly here, starting on 6th September and finished by 12th. Karine Sérafin explained that the estate was harvesting earlier than before, to keep more freshness in the wines, and also working more with leaf coverage. The old vines negated any need to green harvest and yields are up by only 20 percent from 2016, but otherwise Karine and her cousin Frédérique are intent on preserving the individuality of Christian Sérafin’s style for vins de garde, with 100 percent new oak for everything upwards from the Gevrey Vieilles Vignes.

There is a really impressive depth and breadth of fruit on the nose of this wine and whilst it is richer than the Les Corbeaux, it is not quite so elegant, despite a very fine finish.
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Director

The last few vintages have shown a freshening up of the Srafin style, though absolutely not at the expense of the concentration which is a hallmark of this domaine. The concentration of the fruit comes from their meticulous work in the vineyards, the fresher style from a little less extraction during fermentation. Christian himself thinks that 2010 is notably more concentrated than 2009 and as everywhere else, yields are down this year.

Old vines, a little bit degenerate, grow directly on the rock here, producing tiny, concentrated berries. The resulting wine is very dense in colour with flamboyant fruit. There’s great excitement on the palate which is really pure, ultra-intense, but not too weighty. Very long finish. We love this. Drink 2024-2035.
Jasper Morris MW, Wine Buyer

Christian Sérafin’s niece Frédérique follows very much in her uncle’s footsteps, using the same vinification and maturing principles as before, though possibly with a fractionally lighter touch. She is also reviewing the management of the soil in the vineyards to encourage more microbial life. They made what turned out to be the excellent decision not to do any leaf plucking in 2015, thus avoiding any burning of the grapes and so maintaining a respectable yield.

Gevrey-Chambertin, Fonteny shows an abundance of fruit on the nose, with ultra rich cherries and a corresponding depth of flavour on the palate but the skilful use of oak keeps all in order.

This is a contrast to Les Corbeaux, in that this vineyard faces more northwards, giving a more elegant and feminine expression. The fruit profile remains one of dark berry fruits, but there is a floral lift and the rocky, limestone soil adds a vibrant, mineral finish. Drink 2024-2035.
Adam Bruntlett, Wine Buyer

This domaine was originally put on the map by Christian Sérafin’s father, Stanilaus Sérafin, a Polish émigré, who settled in Burgundy before the war. He initially worked as a mason, before purchasing some land in 1947 and establishing himself as a vigneron. His son Christian inherited the domaine in 1988, though he had been making the wine for the previous 20 years. Christian Sérafin is now past retirement age, but with a niece (Frédérique) in the vineyards and cuverie, and a daughter (Karine) in the office, continuity is in place. The style here is for powerful wines which age exceptionally well. Christian Sérafin’s niece Frédérique feels that 2016 is “une grande année de garde”, and could well surpass 2015. In fact, her confidence in the vintage is such that all the wines will be raised entirely in new oak barrels. The most badly-frosted vineyards were Bourgogne and Chambolle Baudes, which suffered 60 percent frost. Overall yields were down by around 50 percent but the cousins expect to release a larger proportion of the crop than usual en primeur in order to minimise the immediate impact of the losses. These are certainly wines which deserve long- term ageing.

This is just above Corbeaux but further towards the Combe de Lavaux, thus north-facing, although it gets sun all day. The topsoil is especially feeble and the underlying rock is very hard. The wine offers a charming balance of freshness and weight, with floral lift, crunchy energetic fruit and a mentholated warmth forming a heady cocktail. Drink 2027-2034.