Le Fonteny

Glowing purple, this has a really engaging colour with a vibrant, heady nose to match – beautifully supported by the oak. A huge wealth of fruit in the mouth, quite firm structure, this is very backward but will make a great bottle. The pure fruit really lingers on the finish.

Though we still have the pleasure of tasting with Christian Sérafin, it is now his niece, Frédérique who is solely responsible for winemaking. Christian describes 2014 as being all about elegance and balance, with neither too much acidity nor tannin. The Sérafin wines always repay patience.

Glowing an imperial purple, this has a richly fruited nose and explosive fruit on the palate. Dark red cherries dominate this beautifully balanced mouthful that is elegant and precise with fruit covering the tannins.
Jasper Morris MW, Berrys' Burgundy Director Christian Sérafin notes that 2011 was a surprising year, with results much better than expected. These are elegant wines even by Sérafins standards and since Frédérique, Christian’s niece, has been responsible for vinification, the wines have been showing a fresher style, with slightly suppler tannins. Christian is partly retired, though he still looks after his favourite Cazetiers vineyard, as well as conducting tastings in the cellars. There is a bit more volume available than in the 2010s.

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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.