Savigny Les Beaune 1er cru Serpentières 2021 Domaine Michel Gay

The Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Aux Serpentières 2020 from Domaine Michel Gay is a flagship bottle from one of the most serious addresses on the Côte de Beaune. Rated 90/100 by Robert Parker in earlier vintages and praised with 3BD by Bettane & Desseauve, this Premier Cru reveals, on the generous sunny 2020 vintage, all the depth, elegance, and charm of an exceptional mid-slope terroir, brought to life by the precision and rigour of Sébastien Gay.

The terroir of Aux Serpentières

The climat Aux Serpentières may take its name from the springs that wind down the slopes beneath this parcel, or perhaps from the undulations of the terrain that evoke a reptile's movement on the hillside. Situated at the entrance to the village of Savigny-lès-Beaune coming from Beaune, on south-facing slopes at around 260 metres altitude, this Premier Cru is one of the finest and best-exposed in the appellation. The soil comprises light Bathonian limestone marl scattered with angular stones, over an argilo-calcareous base that allows Pinot Noir to develop deep roots and express fine mineral character. The full southern exposure is a precious asset in this Côte de Beaune vineyard, ensuring optimal ripeness, particularly in warmer years, and giving Aux Serpentières wines that are deeper, fleshier, and more generous than most of their neighbours in the appellation. Wine specialist Clive Coates MW described this group of Savigny Premier Crus as wines "with style rather than raw power" — a description that fits perfectly what Michel Gay draws from this vineyard.

Tasting profile

The colour is a deep cherry with purple reflections, luminous and intense, reflecting the sunny 2020 vintage and fine generosity. The nose is immediately seductive and expressive: aromas of raspberries, ripe plums, and dark cherries open onto notes of raw cacao, sweet spices, and violet, with fine oak from ageing in wooden casks, well integrated. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, fleshy, and charming, with generous matter and silky texture that evokes the signature of Aux Serpentières. The tannins are polished and elegant, the succulence of the acidity brings freshness and tension, and the finish is long, fruited, and lightly spiced. A Premier Cru that is both accessible now and promising over six to ten years of cellaring.

The Domaine

Founded in 1992 by Michel Gay, Domaine Michel Gay et Fils is today run by Sébastien Gay, the fourth generation of a winemaking family established in Chorey-lès-Beaune for over a century. The vineyard spans around fifteen hectares spread across several prestigious appellations, Chorey-lès-Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune, Aloxe-Corton, Beaune, and Corton Grand Cru. Vineyard management follows sustainable practices without herbicides, with shoot mulching and incorporation of prunings to maintain soil health. In the cellar, vinification is traditional and minimally interventionist: cold pre-fermentation maceration, fermentation with indigenous yeasts, gentle extraction, and ageing in wooden casks with 40 to 70 percent new oak for Premier Crus, for around 16 months. Rigorous selection in the vineyard and on the vibrating table ensures the quality of each harvest. Bettane & Desseauve awards the domaine 3BD, acknowledging the precision of terroir expression and remarkable mastery of ageing.

Food pairings

This Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Aux Serpentières will pair beautifully with roasted duck with cherries, beef fillet en croûte with mushrooms, rack of lamb with Provence herbs, pheasant in a cocotte, or game birds. It will also find fine harmony with aged pressed-paste cheeses such as Comté aged 18 months, Époisses, or Cîteaux. Served between 15 and 17 °C, with 30 minutes of decanting recommended, it will express all the generosity and depth of its great terroir.