Sérol

History of Domaine Sérol

The history of Domaine Sérol is above all that of a family line rooted in the Roannais terroir since the 17th century. From generation to generation, the property has been passed down as a precious heritage, each era bringing its stone to the edifice. It was in 1964 that Robert Sérol took the helm of a still diversified operation, comprising only two hectares of vines. A man of conviction, he chose to concentrate his efforts on viticulture, gradually developed the vineyard and worked tirelessly to elevate its quality alongside his wife Marie-Thérèse. Their commitment bore fruit: Domaine Sérol was classified as AOC Côte Roannaise, a consecration that definitively anchored the estate's identity in this exceptional terroir.

At the dawn of the 2000s, it was Stéphane Sérol, Robert's son, who took over the family heritage. Passionate, visionary, he undertook to further expand the vineyard and clear new slopes to replant the historical grape variety: Gamay Saint Romain. With his wife Carine, they gradually converted the entire estate to organic agriculture, then to biodynamics, obtaining Biodyvin certification in 2017. This deeply respectful approach to nature and soils marked a decisive turning point in the estate's history.

In 2022, a new chapter opens with the creation of Sérol Champs Libres, a parallel project born after the devastating frost of 2021. Initially conceived to vinify organic grapes from external parcels, this creative laboratory is now established for the long term, offering additional freedom of expression to Carine and Stéphane. Also noteworthy is the co-ownership of the two hectares of Vignoble des Blondins, shared with the three-Michelin-starred chef Michel Troisgros, which testifies to the estate's gastronomic influence far beyond the wine world. 

Terroirs and Vineyards of Domaine Sérol

The terroir of Domaine Sérol is an invitation to a geological journey. Positioned on the eastern foothills of the Massif Central, in immediate proximity to the Loire gorges and the ancient volcanoes of Auvergne, the vineyard benefits from a remarkable altitude between 380 and 550 meters, generating exceptional climatic conditions: cool nights, marked thermal amplitude, regular winds. This semi-continental climate with mountain influences promotes slow and controlled ripening of the grapes, preserving the freshness and natural acidity that are the signature of the estate's wines.

The soils are essentially composed of granite sand, sometimes enriched with granite alterations locally called "gorrhe", rich in manganese and iron oxides. This mineral substrate, perfectly adapted to local grape varieties, gives the wines a delicate minerality, a characteristic tension and that famous smokiness that distinguishes elite Côte Roannaise. Each lieu-dit has its own geological personality: the Oudan plateau extends between 400 and 450 meters facing due south, Perdrizière reveals its granite clays at 400 meters altitude, while the heights of Chez Muron peak between 480 and 530 meters with vines aged 50 to 95 years.

The vineyard now extends over approximately 38 hectares, including 32 hectares of Gamay Saint Romain and 2 hectares of white grape varieties, Viognier and Chenin, classified as IGP d'Urfé. The vines, aged 5 to 80 years, are planted in high density (8,500 to 10,000 vines per hectare), promoting natural competition between the vines that limits yields and concentrates aromatic expression. Pruned in Guyot Poussard, trellised to reach foliage exceeding 1.70 meters, they receive each year an application of bovine manure composted and dynamized on the estate, and are subject to an annual sowing of green manure. Soil work during the season remains limited to under-row cultivation only to preserve the structure and microbial life. Harvesting, entirely manual, mobilizes up to 70 people in the heart of the Roannais autumn.

Vinifications at Domaine Sérol

At Sérol, vinification is a philosophy as much as a technique. Everything starts with the grape: harvested manually in 12 kg crates, sorted at the winery on vibrating tables, it arrives at the vat room in an impeccable sanitary state that allows minimal intervention. The vats, concrete, wood, amphora, are filled by gravity to avoid any aggressive pumping. Fermentations and macerations are done exclusively with indigenous yeasts, these microorganisms naturally present on the berry skins and in the estate's air, which faithfully reflect the identity of the terroir.

For red wines of the AOP Côte Roannaise, maceration is slow, gentle, spread over 15 to 20 days depending on the cuvées. A portion of whole clusters (approximately 20%) is incorporated into the vats to bring freshness and aromatic complexity, while the rest is destemmed. Aging lasts from 7 to 11 months depending on the cuvées, in concrete vats, in truncated wooden vats, or in terracotta amphorae for the most singular cuvées. These amphorae, inspired by ancestral practices, allow natural micro-oxygenation and infusion maceration that extracts the material without ever brutalizing the fruit.

Two remarkable cuvées, Chez Muron and Chez Coste, are vinified and aged entirely without added sulfur in amphora: 7 months of infusion maceration followed by 4 months of aging. Draining is done without pressing, to retain only the most delicate juices. The whites, for their part, undergo direct pressing and natural cold settling before being vinified in 500-liter barrels, or in 12-hectoliter foudres. Malolactic fermentation is complete for the whites, conferring richness and roundness. Aging on lees lasts more than 10 months for certain cuvées. Bottling, carried out by the estate team, is subject to gentle filtration on cellulose plates.

The cuvées of Domaine Sérol

Éclat de Granite

An emblematic cuvée of Domaine Sérol, Éclat de Granite is a luminous synthesis of Gamay Saint Romain on granite soils. It comes from a blend of several parcels on slopes between 400 and 530 meters altitude, planted at 8,500 vines per hectare. Manual harvesting in small crates and sorting on a vibrating table precede vinification in concrete vats with 20% whole clusters, for slow fermentation-maceration of 15 to 20 days. Aging of 11 months in concrete vats preserves the mineral tension and crisp fruit of the grape variety. This wine with aromas of black cherry and raspberry, with a touch of cranberry and peppery notes, offers a silky and sapid palate, of irresistible freshness. 

Oudan

Oudan bears the name of the first parcel planted by Stéphane Sérol on this high-altitude vineyard. Facing due south between 400 and 450 meters on granite slopes, this generous and sunny terroir produces a fleshy and gourmand Gamay Saint Romain. Vinification in wooden vats with 20% whole clusters, followed by maceration of approximately 20 days and aging of 11 months in wooden vats, gives it an ample structure and round tannins. The deep ruby robe announces a nose of well-ripened red fruits, peony and light woody touches. The palate is dense, generous, with beautiful persistence. 

Perdrizière

From a 1.5-hectare parcel bearing the name of the lieu-dit Perdrizière, this cuvée expresses all the singularity of a granite alteration soil (gorrhe) rich in manganese and iron oxides, at 400 meters altitude in eastern exposure. The 30-year-old vines produce a Gamay Saint Romain with assertive character, spicy and mineral. Vinified in wooden vats with 20% whole clusters and maceration of approximately 20 days, then aged 11 months in wooden vats, Perdrizière offers a complex aromatic palette: red fruits, peppery notes, hints of undergrowth and a distinctive ferruginous minerality. 

Chez Muron

Chez Muron represents the highest expression of the Sérol granite plateau. From the heart of the parcel of the eponymous lieu-dit, between 480 and 530 meters altitude, this Gamay Saint Romain comes from vines aged 50 to 95 years, planted at 10,000 vines per hectare. The vinification, entirely without added sulfur, takes place in terracotta amphora: 100% destemming, then 7 months of infusion maceration, slow pressing in amphora, and 4 additional months of aging. This ancestral approach delivers a wine of remarkable purity and tension, with intense floral aromas, fresh red fruits and sweet spices, with a silky texture and a prolonged mineral finish.

Chez Coste

Just like Chez Muron, Chez Coste is vinified in amphora, without added sulfur, from the heart of the Perdrizière parcel, a granite gorrhe soil rich in manganese and iron oxides, at 400 meters altitude. The 1.5 ha of 30-year-old vines planted at 8,500 vines per hectare produce a Gamay Saint Romain with a different profile from its plateau neighbor: more taut, more incisive, with a mineral and ferruginous structure that amphora vinification sublimates and preserves. Chez Coste is the mineral and incisive counterpart to Chez Muron, two complementary facets of the same commitment to precision.

Les Millerands

Les Millerands is one of the most confidential and sought-after cuvées of Domaine Sérol. Produced from old vines aged 50 to 95 years on the granite plateau between 480 and 530 meters altitude, it takes its name from the millerandage phenomenon that gives birth to tiny hyper-concentrated berries. Planted at 10,000 vines per hectare and vinified with 20% whole clusters, manual harvesting precedes approximately 20 days of fermentation-maceration then 11 months of aging in concrete vats. The robe is bright ruby, the nose rich in cherry, raspberry and spicy floral notes; the palate is supple, balanced, with fine tannins and a long finish, marked by granite minerality.