TRADITION AND A DISCREET SORT OF CHARM 

La Serre's vines are planted at a place called "Les Menuts". This name reminds us that a former monastery was responsible for managing the vineyard estate in the 15th century. It is said that the monks, incessantly troubled by looters, came to seek refuge behind the town ramparts, which continue to provide shelter for La Serre's vines to this day. The estate later came into the Labayme family. Their descendents included jurats (aldermen), barristers at the Bordeaux Parliament, and as no less than five mayors of Saint-Emilion between 1541 and 1728.

Romain de Labayme, owner of Lasserre, was responsible for building the beautiful chateau (more like a manor house) in the 17th century. There is a unique panorama of the Dordogne River valley from its thick walls.

in the late 1970s, Luc d'Arfeuille started a large-scale renovation of La Serre. He succeeded in elevating the vineyard's stature to that of one of Saint-Emilion's leading Grands Crus Classés.

La Serre's 7 hectares of clay-limestone soil are located on top of a former quarry.

This rocky substratum absorbs water in winter and releases it in summer, acting as a humidity regulator.

As a result, the vines stay beautifully green throughout the year.

According to Luc d'Arfeuille, the success of a grand vin de terroir is based on two fundamental ideas.

Firstly, low yields are the cornerstone of a true quality-oriented philosophy.

Natural limitation is achieved thanks to old, low-producing vines (over 30 years old on average) and fairly meagre soil.

Despite the vigour of new clones and climatic fluctuations, traditional methods (pruning, debudding, etc.) are generally sufficient to keep yields within ideal limits.

The grapes are thinned out only as a last resort, on certain vineayrd plots, in very late-ripening years.

Secondly, a wine's style should be in harmony with the terroir (soil + microclimate), otherwise it will be unbalanced and poorly-structured. Extraction depends on the vintage's intrinsic potential.

The balance obtained in this way is reinforced by just the right amount of barrel-ageing. Fifteen to 18 months in barrel ( 30-35% new barrels each year) give the wine an ideal, subtle, oaky aroma.