Domaine Sérol, 2020 Update
In my annual programme of updates I often leave my tasting reports from the Upper Loire, a very peripheral region of the Loire Valley, until last. This year I have brought them forward a little, starting last week with my report on the latest releases from Verdier-Logel, a representative from the Côtes du Forez appellation. I continue here with a tasting of current and forthcoming releases from Stéphane and Carine Sérol, of Domaine Sérol, in the neighbouring Côte Roannaise appellation.
If there is one reason why I have brought these reports forward a little we find it here in my Domaine Sérol notes. Last year I tasted the 2018 vintage from cuve and found it hugely impressive, the wines showing a dark and brooding intensity with a multifaceted complexity the likes of which I never expected to find in Gamay from the Loire Valley. But they were unbottled samples of course; this year, however, my tasting with Stéphane (pictured above) gave me the opportunity to taste the finished wines from bottle, and I was delighted to find they lived up to my expectations.
These are wines which, for me, redefine what Gamay is capable of. They are a reflection of the warm and generous nature of the vintage, and I suppose they are open to criticism for their lack of typicity. But then, to be fair, if you are absolutely ‘traditional’ in your tastes, I think a lot of red wines from the 2018 vintage in the Loire Valley are going to disappoint through lack of perceived typicity. Personally I think it a great year, a once-in-a-generation vintage, but I appreciate tastes differ. These are big, textured, brooding wines for the cellar, not nervous and acid-framed wines for lunchtime bistro sipping.
Please log in to continue reading: