Sébastien Morin - Maï Lam and Sébastien Morin

Sébastien, who divides his time between vineyards and IT, has always been passionate about wine. It was after meeting Jean-Marc Brignot, a traveling winemaker who settled in Arbois after working in Beaujolais and Champagne, that he decided to make natural wine. Jean-Marc trained him in viticulture and shared his non-interventionist approach as well as his experience with long maceration periods.

These practices are uncommon in Beaujolais: perhaps this is what makes this winemaker somewhat atypical for his appellation. In any case, he likes to take his time and devotes patient and meticulous care to all his wines: long macerations, slow pressings, and extended aging. The vines, one and a half hectares of Gamay, are located in Saint-Étienne-des-Oullières, in the southern Beaujolais region, on soils typical of the area: granitic at depth and sandy on the surface (sands resulting from the decomposition of granite). The average age of the vines is around forty years. The estate is managed organically (Ecocert certified) and using natural methods, without the addition of any synthetic inputs to the vineyard. Biodynamic practices are employed, among other things, through the application of herbal teas (elderflower, nettle, sage, lavender, etc.). The harvest is done by hand. The natural, non-interventionist approach is respected in both the vineyard and the cellar, without the addition of any inputs, particularly sulfites. The grapes are often destemmed, maceration lasts around three months, and pressing takes place over approximately ten hours in a vertical hand press ("We'll have time to drink a few glasses; it's a matter of patience," explains Sébastien. "Four or five clicks of the ratchet every fifteen minutes. It takes three-quarters of the day."). Cold fermentation is carried out using indigenous yeasts: the aim is to encourage the Gamay to express the maximum of the terroir without compromising the grape variety's natural fruitiness. Aging is lengthy: the reds are available one to two years after the vintage. For magnums, aging is extended in demijohns. For the naturally sparkling wine, disgorged by hand and undosed, the aging process is fourteen to eighteen months on lees.