Saint-Cyr
Beaujolais, Part 11
The man mountain that is Raphael Saint-Cyr (pictured above)
is one of the new generation of Beaujolais winegrowers who have
taken a modest family domaine and raised it to new heights. He
joined the family domaine back in 2008 at the age of 22, and has
helped it expand into the crus, turn to organic farming, and look to
export markets.
The domaine itself consists of 28 hectares of vines, with 20 in the
south of Beaujolais, 6 of which are planted to Chardonnay. Saint Cyr
also has 8 hectares in the Crus: Chenas, Morgon, Moulin-a-Vent and
Regnie.
His start was to move to organic farming. 'We've been 100% organic
for 10 years,' he explains. 'It's not a real challenge for me now: I
want to do it and I cannot work with chemicals any more. But it was
a challenge 10 years ago when we decided to convert.'
'Organic is growing,' says Raphael. 'There are lots of young guys
that work organically.' However, there aren't that many here in the
south of the region: maybe 10. There are more in Morgon and Fleurie,
the most prestigious crus.
One of the oddities of Saint Cyr is that they have 1.5 hectares of
Sauvignon Blanc. This is because Raphael worked for Brancott Estate
in the 2006/7 vintage in Marlborough, New Zealand, and decided that
when he got back, he’d have a go with it. I don’t think there’s much
of a future for Sauvignon here: it's an unusual wine, but it sells
well at the cellar door.
Winemaking depends on the wine, and for the more fruity styles
there's 100% carbonic maceration. The wines here are solid, honest,
and in some cases quite exciting. The packaging is spot-on, too.
THE WINES
Saint Cyr Kanon Keg 2017 This is made from
bought-in grapes and is packaged in Key Keg. 100% carbonic
maceration. Fresh and supple with nice juiciness and some herb and
spice notes. Sappy and a bit stony. 88/100
Saint Cyr La Galoche Blanc 2017 Galoche
translates as 'kiss with tongues'. This is made in white, red and
pink versions. The white is pressed and aged for 4-5 months in
concrete. From clay/limestone soils. Fresh, stony and bright with
understated pear fruit with some floral hints. Has a nice texture
and some lemon notes on the finish. 89/100
Saint Cyr La Galoche Rosé 2017
Gamay, direct pressed, fermented using natural yeast. Has brightness
and a bit of stoniness, as well as nice acidity. Pure with some
cranberry notes. 88/100
Saint Cyr La Galoche Rouge 2017 From limestone
and clay soils. The grapes are chilled overnight then put in a tank.
CO2 is pumped in to remove all the air. Then there's a cold
maceration for at least 3 days. If it smells nice, it’s left,
otherwise a pied de cuve is used to get fermentation going. No
sulfites are added. This is left for 10-15 days and if it gets
smelly, the cap is wetted. Supple and bright with lovely freshness
and some juicy raspberry notes. Pure red cherries, with some grip.
Very attractive and stony, with a bit of seriousness. 90/100
Saint Cyr Terroir de Bellevue 2017 This is from
70 year old vines grown on limestone. Semicarbonic maceration.
Lively and complex with great concentration. Has bright red cherry
and raspberry fruit with good acidity that's mouthwatering but
integrated. Nice density and focus here with a citrus note. Very
different to granite. 93/100
Saint Cyr Chénas 'Les Blémonts' 2015 From Les
Blémonts lieu dit, with white granite and round stones. 70% of this
spends 18 months in barrel, the rest is in small tanks. Stony and
supple with freshness and a little bit of spicy warmth, as well as
juicy raspberries. Has a slight earthy savouriness and a bit of oak
influence. 91/100
Saint Cyr Moulin-à-Vent 'La Bruyère' 2015
Blue granite. 100% carbonic maceration, because the grapes were very
small this year. Dense, focused, savoury and quite spicy. Has some
depth. Grainy and grippy with with black cherry and blackberry fruit
and some cedary undertones. A little stern but with real presence.
92/100
Saint Cyr Morgon 'Les Charmes' 2015 White sand
and red schist. Lively, lifted spicy nose with vivid raspberry and
cherry fruit, showing nice spiciness. Very fresh and expressive with
a spicy bite. Has a slight wildness to it with some savoury detail.
90/100
Saint Cyr Chénas 'Les Journets' 2017 (barrel sample)
Juicy, vital and spicy with really vivid acidity. Stony and
expressive with nice focus and a linear personality. Has a spicy,
mineral, crystal-like quality. 91-93/100
Saint Cyr Sauvignon Blanc 2017 Vin de France 20
g/l sugar. Fruity, rounded and expressive with a bit of sweetness.
Pretty and accessible with a very fruity character. 86/100
Saint-Cyr Pet Nat Rosé 2017 Vin de France
This is bought-in Gamay that is direct pressed. It is inoculated
with a pied de cuve and left to ferment until 1005 density (15-20 g
sugar left) and is then bottles without filtration. It finishes with
1-4 g sugar. The pressure is 5 bars after disgorging. It's left to
ferment upside down to keep the fruit. Very pure and bright with
beautiful fruit. Juicy cherry and raspberry notes are really pure.
Lovely wine. 90/100
Saint Cyr Chénas Les Blémonts Vignes Centeniares 2013
This is a special old vines bottling, in magnum. Stern and savoury
with high acid and some cedary oak, as well as fine spices. Has a
really stony character. Nicely savoury, showing real elegance. Needs
more time to integrate the oak. 93/100
BEAUJOLAIS
Part
1,
Yvon Metras
Part
2,
Pierre Cotton
Part
3, Yann Bertrand
Part
4,
David Chapel
Part
5,
Château Thivin
Part
6, Jean-Marc Burgaud
Part
7, Domaine Marcel Lapierre
Part
8, Jules Desjourneys
Part
9, Thillardon
Part
10, Mee Godard
Part
11, Saint-Cyr
Wines
tasted 04/18
Article published
August 2018
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