Watching his grandfather and uncle fall ill from the chemicals sprayed on their vines, Raphael Saint-Cyr decided that the family estate would farm differently the day it became his.
Backstory
Domaine Saint-Cyr was founded by Raphael's great-grandfather Pierre Saint-Cyr in Anse, at the southern edge of Beaujolais. Raphael, the fourth generation, took over the winemaking in 2008 alongside his wife Karine. He sold off a large share of the estate's Beaujolais vines near the winery and instead acquired parcels further north in the crus of Morgon, Regnie, Chenas and Moulin-a-Vent.
The Region
The home vineyards sit in the pierres dorees, the golden-stone country at the southern tip of Beaujolais, while the cru parcels reach into the granite-rich slopes of the northern Beaujolais.
Vineyards & Farming
Raphael converted the entire 23-hectare domaine to certified organic viticulture, making it one of the largest organic estates in Beaujolais. Beginning in 2020 he started plowing his own vines with two Comtois draft horses, Samba and El Suegno.
Winemaking
The wines are made with native yeasts and minimal intervention, fermented in concrete tanks and aged in used barrels. From 2017 Raphael experimented with cold carbonic fermentation and shorter aging on the single-vineyard Chenas Les Journets; the reception was strong enough that since 2019 all of the red wines are vinified by cold carbonic maceration.
The Wines
The range spans organic Beaujolais and the northern crus of Morgon, Regnie, Chenas and Moulin-a-Vent, all built around Gamay and expressing the freshness of their granite and golden-stone terroirs.
