Domaine Michel et Joanna Ecard, Les Serpentières Vieilles Vignes, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru 2017

What struck us when ACME first tasted this Pinot Noir from husband and wife team Michel and Joanna Ecard is the undeniable sense that this is the sort of Burgundian wine for which we constantly search. These wines are upfront and honest, captivating and convincing—truly how handmade, small-batch Burgundy should be.

Michel Ecard learned winemaking alongside his father, Maurice Ecard, a highly respected winemaker in Savigny who has since retired from the trade. Michel went on to create his own estate in 2005, and today it remains very much a micro-operation, with Michel in the cellar and vineyards while his wife, Joanna, manages the hospitality and sales. Their estate is in the commune of Savigny-lès-Beaune, an appellation village within the Côte de Beaune in Burgundy. There are few other Burgundy villages that consistently offer such quality-for-value as does Savigny-lès-Beaune, and few winemakers in this village who deliver such quality each and every vintage as does Michel Ecard. His low-sulfur, balanced wines are not only deliciously complex but also age beautifully, a rare trait for Burgundy so reasonably priced.

Facing full south, Serpentières is one of Savigny’s most-prized premier cru vineyards. Soils are composed of gravel, iron-rich marl and clay, and the vines were first planted in the 1930s. Holistic practices are used both in the vineyard and cellar. The vines are cared for according to sustainable principles, avoiding pesticides and herbicides, and the wine is fermented with yeasts indigenous to the vineyard and cellar. Grapes are harvested by hand, and pressed in an old-style, upright wooden press. Very little, (to almost no), sulfur is added during fermentation or during bottling, a feat that is not easily achievable and requires very fastidious winemaking practices.  The wine then goes on to age in French oak barrels, up to 50% of which is new, and finally is bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Aromas of dark cherry, blueberry, and subtle baking spices open first on the nose. The palate has a robust body; structured with firm tannins and sharp acid, yet supple with plush dark fruits like plum and cherry. As the temperatures continue to turn, open this bottle on a chilly evening and pair with roasted lamb or pork sausages. 13% ABV