Les Millandes

Sérafin has two plots in this well-regarded Premier Cru, one with 60-year-old vines, the other closer to 40 years old. The purity and delicacy of the vineyard is evident and, given the vineyard’s proximity to both Clos de la Roche and Clos St Denis, there is much elegance in evidence too. Drink 2022-2027.

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.

Bright purple with medium density, this has a ripe, red-cherry nose. The elegant fruit is backed by a surprisingly firm structure which will require time.

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.

Another wine that shows a fine bright purple colour this Morey-St Denis is intense, but backward in fruit. The 2002 is drinking beautifully now and this will be even better.
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.

This Premier Cru sits just underneath Clos de la Roche, and there is certainly more than a passing resemblance to its prestigious neighbour. The fruit is juicy and vibrant, but the quality of the tannins is what makes this wine stand out. Stony and vibrant, this has great, mineral precision. Drink 2024-2034.
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.

Sérafin has two plots in this well-regarded Premier Cru, one with 60-year-old vines, the other closer to 40 years old. The vineyard’s proximity to both Clos de la Roche and Clos St Denis really shows in the lifted, floral and blueberry aromatic profile, rich mid-palate and chalky, rocky tannin structure. Drink 2025-2032.