2021 Saumaize-Michelin Saint-Veran, Maconnais

This is also aromatically pure, cool and airy with a more citrus-infused nose. Here too there is excellent volume and intensity to the medium-bodied flavors that flash almost as much minerality on the bone-dry, youthfully austere and borderline aggressively lemony finish. This may be too much for some.

Christine and Roger Saumaize preside over this fine 9.5-hectare domaine in Vergisson. Biodynamic farming, limited yields and manual harvesting are the fundamentals of their approach in the vineyards, followed by fermentation in barrel and maturation on the lees. The various parcels have been vinified separately since 1985. The wines are concentrated and structured, exemplifying the artisanal excellence that seems to proliferate in Vergisson,

Saumaize-Michelin was founded in 1977, when Roger Saumaize received 4 hectares of vineyards from his father. Roger had grown up in the vineyards and began working them at age 14. In 1978, he completely took over his father’s estate.

Roger owns the estate with his wife Christine, whose maiden name is Michelin, hence the winery name. Their logo represents the Roche de Vergisson, a huge rock formation, just on top of the Village of Vergisson.

Roger and Christine built their winery & expanded their vineyards over time. In 1979, they purchased 1.6 hectares of “La Roche” vineyards in Vergisson.