Domaine Sérol: Vineyards
The domaine sits on the outskirts of Renaison, which lies in the foothills of the Massif Central, at an altitude of 350 to 450 metres, directly to the west of the town of Roanne. Over the past decade the vineyard has grown from 28 to 38 hectares, which is a serious chunk of the Côte Roannaise appellation, which in itself amounts to about 215 hectares of established vineyards. Underfoot there are sandy soils over the classic granite rocks, with the associated decomposed granite known as gore (or gorrhe in the local dialect) of this part of France.
The variety planted is Gamay Saint-Romain, a clone of Gamay (or Gamay Noir à Jus Blanc to be more precise) which is limited to the Côte Roannaise and Côtes du Forez appellations, and which is said to have originated from the vine nursery in Saint-Romain-la-Motte, a few kilometres to the north-east. The way growers speak of it you might think they are taking about a distinct variety, but it is simply one of many clones of Gamay (albeit seemingly a high-quality example).
There are approximate 35 hectares of Gamay Saint-Romain planted, this being the only variety eligible for the Côte Roannaise appellation. The average age of these vines is 40 years, but some – those than date to the time of Jean Sérol, Stéphane’s grandfather – may be as old as 90 years. The planting density of these vines is as high as 10,000 pieds per hectare on some parcels, distinctly different to the usual figure of 5,000 per hectare which predominates in the region. There are various parcels planted, a number of which feed into a domaine cuvée, but there are also three worthwhile lieux-dits – Oudan, Les Millerands and Perdrizière – which I detail here.
