100% Pinot Noir

Food pairings: Roast duck, grilled lamb, beef bourguignon, mushroom dishes and Époisses.

Winemaking: All the fruit is destemmed and extraction is kept to a minimum; fermentation uses indigenous yeasts. The wines age in barriques exclusively from the cooper François Frères and are bottled unfined and unfiltered. Clos de la Roche is fermented with indigenous yeasts after destemming and aged in barrel, about half of it new.

Vineyards and terroir: Clos de la Roche is a fine lieu-dit on the northern edge of Givry, at more than 250 metres altitude. Its limestone-heavy soil with some clay is planted with vines more than 45 years old, farmed with organic practices.

Family and history: Domaine Michel Sarrazin et Fils is based in Jambles, a tiny hamlet just outside Givry about 300 metres above sea level, and the family has passed the domaine from father to son since 1671. The Sarrazin brothers are known as meticulous stewards of high-altitude vineyards around Givry, Mercurey and Maranges, making traditional wines with a clarity of terroir uncommon in the region.

In the pictures: The Sarrazin family at the domaine in Jambles (photo: Skurnik Wines, importer).