La Serre has its own style. A balanced approach that prefers subtlety over force. A freshness that transcends time, like a spring rising from limestone.
“Vines and wine are highly mysterious. In the plant kingdom, only the vine gives us an understanding of the true flavour of the earth” Colette’s elegant words sum up our philosophy: expressing the flavour of the earth, in this case the limestone terroir of the Saint-Émilion plateau.
Our approach is one of rigour, precision and innovation, while respecting the timeless heritage of the estate. Elegance, freshness, complexity, balance and length: we are the guarantors of a style of wine that has been produced for decades.
With a real sense of precision and singularity, oenologist Thomas Duclos (Oenoteam) helps us refine the identity of La Serre. Both in the vineyard and in the cellar, we are becoming increasingly precise and less interventionist.
There is a fine balance to be struck between letting things happen and taking action. On the one hand, letting the soil live, letting the biotope express itself, vinifying with care. On the other hand, finding the right approach when it comes to de-budding, leaf thinning or punching the cap in a vat. In a small estate, with the vines grouped over a single block, it’s easier to think before you act and, when you need to, to intervene at the right time.
The estate has always relied on a strong base of Merlot grapes. However, since 2015 the proportion of Cabernet Franc has been growing, and our ambition is to increase it to 25%. New vines are planted at regular intervals (2015, 2017, 2019, 2021), accompanied by selection work aimed at diversifying the plant material.
The grapes are harvested by hand by a team of twenty-five people. Plot by plot, when the right maturity is reached. The grapes go through an initial sorting in the vines before the bunches are placed into crates. A second sorting is carried out in the cellar on a vibrating table. Then a third, just before vatting.
The concrete vats inaugurated in 2018 were tailor-made for each plot. We gently punch down the cap manually. At the end of the alcoholic fermentation, the must is pressed in a small vertical press.
The wine is aged in barrels for thirteen to fifteen months, depending on the vintage. Half the wines are matured in new barrels and half in barrels that have been used once.