Saumaize-Michelin was founded in 1977, when Roger Saumaize received 4 hectares of vineyards from his father. Roger had grown up in the vineyards and began working them at age 14. In 1978, he completely took over his father’s estate.
Roger owns the estate with his wife Christine, whose maiden name is Michelin, hence the winery name. Their logo represents the Roche de Vergisson, a huge rock formation, just on top of the Village of Vergisson.
Roger and Christine built their winery & expanded their vineyards over time. In 1979, they purchased 1.6 hectares of “La Roche” vineyards in Vergisson. In 1985, they decide to vinify their parcels separately. They added:
Two new cellars were built in 2007.
Lisa, the daughter, joined the team in 2020. Together with her brother Vivien, they represent the new generation. Learning the fundamentals from the experienced Roger and Christine.
Today they have 10 hectares (24.7 acres) of vineyards, growing 9.5 hectares of Chardonnay and 0.5 hectares of Gamay. Roger makes around 6,250 cases of wine per year under three different appellations: Mâcon-Villages, St Véran and Pouilly-Fuissé.
The vines are 45-50 years old of age on average. The vineyards are farmed according to biodynamic principles. In the cellar, all white wines are 100% barrel fermented with 100% M-L fermentation.
"Christine and Roger Saumaize preside over this fine 9.5-hectare domaine in Vergisson. Biodynamic farming, limited yields and manual harvesting are the fundamentals of their approach in the vineyards, followed by fermentation in barrel and maturation on the lees. The various parcels have been vinified separately since 1985. The wines are concentrated and structured, exemplifying the artisanal excellence that seems to proliferate in Vergisson, and the fleshy, concentrated 2019 vintage represents a fine success. - William Kelley"
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (August 2021), 91 pts
"The good news this year is that Christine and Roger Saumaize were on hand to guide me through their 2012s. Having said that, poor Christine was suffering a bad cold induced by the Arctic conditions of a tasting in London the previous week that I had also attended. So it was Roger who escorted me down to their cellars that lie opposite their home. "The 2012 vintage was very interesting because despite the difficulties, the maturity was slow and reached an ideal," he explained. "In the 1950s it would be a poor vintage, but these days we could make a great harvest that was from October 1, and for around 12 days afterwards. It was a 'millésime de soleil'. We are also using less and less new oak so that now we hardly use any." This is one of my favorite producers, and their 2012s do not disappoint: a very consistent range of wines that reach their peak with the Les Courtelongs and Vignes Blanches bottlings of Pouilly-Fuissé. - Neal Martin"
- Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate (Issue 215, October 2014)
