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) 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.
Look around and you will see the 2018 vintage is already released and on the market. That’s why I am publishing these notes now; I have already added some 2018 Oudan, 2018 Perdrizière and 2018 Les Millerands to the cellar. If you like what you read, maybe you will do the same. These are certainly wines worth experiencing at least once, even if I have failed to convince you that they have the structure to age well.
