Michel Sarrazin et Fils

Supplier/Importer: Tenzing Imports

Appellations: Givry, Mercurey, Bourgogne

Welcome to the village of Jambles. Blink, and you'll probably miss it—this hamlet of just 500 residents southwest of Givry doesn't offer much to entice a wandering tourist. Granted, few tourists are as interested in climbing rocks as we are. What makes Jambles (say zhamBLAYe) special is its vineyard-covered hills, the source of stunningly noble, high-altitude wines that are truly a vinous world apart from the better-known flatland cuvées of Givry.

How does one discover new wine when such places are so hard to find? One starts with the finest source of Burgundy, and then steals his address book. We “found” Guy and Jean-Yves Sarrazin of Jambles through our very talented friend, Frédéric Magnien. When Fred drops names, our ears perk up. We then asked for a couple samples of Sarrazin wine; we tasted them together and were immediately awakened. This was Givry like none we had experienced—deeper and more complex, with precise and very fresh flavors. After this promising tasting, we got out the map and took a drive.

The Sarrazin brothers inherited the wine bug from their father, a pioneer in the hills of Jambles who encouraged his sons to explore the limits of winemaking beyond the town's small borders. Like many family businesses, it's all hands on deck—Jean-Yves, 35, works the fields and cellars while Guy, 42, manages the estate—but both change hats effortlessly. The two are also regulars at Burgundian tasting round tables, hosted by the likes of Magnien, Vincent Dureuil in Rully, and others. The Sarrazin brothers are talented artisans with their finger on the pulse of Burgundy's future—and their very noble, exciting wines certainly back up their ambitions.