Domaine Vacheron Sancerre (750ml)
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Wine Type
White Wine
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Size
750ml
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Country
France
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Vintage
2020
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Region
Loire Valley
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Sub-Region
Sancerre
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Grape
Sauvignon Blanc
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Food Pairing
AperitifCold SaladsSeafood
The Vacherons are arguably Sancerre’s leading winemaking family. From their pioneering work in identifying and exploiting the region’s top terroirs to their leading position in biodynamic viticulture today, there are few if any artisans in Sancerre as exacting or as respected.
Great-grandfather Maurice Vacheron tended a few vines back when Sancerre was but a stop on a village road. His son, Jean, was the first of the family to specialize in producing wine, paying particular attention to the influence of terroir on Sauvignon Blanc. Jean’s sons, Denis and Jean-Louis, further solidified the Vacheron name in Sancerre. Today, Denis’ son, Jean-Laurent, and Jean-Louis’ son, Jean-Dominique, have taken the estate to a whole new level of quality, championing biodynamic viticulture and selecting singular vineyard parcels that the family has observed for generations to bottle as single-vineyard wines. Their goal is to highlight the uniqueness of each site and showcase the heights that Sancerre can reach.
Tasting Notes
Clear and elegant white fruit aroma with elderflowers on the nose. Full-bodied, very elegant and fruit intense, but also with mineral and phenolic grip, it has a long and powerful finish. The Vacheron family’s vineyards combine equal portions of flint and chalk soils, which give this pure Sauvignon Blanc its nervous edge and juicy core of citrus fruit. The aromatic finish reveals mango as well as cassis and refreshing mineral flavors. Elegant, balanced and complex Vacheron style. Enjoy with salads with fresh goat cheese; oysters or other shellfish.
Method
Domaine Vacheron takes a Burgundian approach to winemaking, by vinifying according to parcels and blending according to vintage. Sourced from hillside vineyards around the town of Sancerre, with a mix of chalk and flint (silex) soils. About 20% of the blend is wine from a selection of single-vineyard plots, which gives more complexity (also some wood influence, as the domaine’s single-vineyard Sancerre Blanc wines are aged in larger wooden casks). The vines are on average 30 to 50 years old. The grapes are hand harvested and fermented with indigenous yeasts in a combination of cement and stainless steel tanks. Aged in tank and bottle unfiltered.
Our Thoughts
We like to think of all French wine as “rustic, country, small production” but the reality is that a large part of French wine production comes from fairly large producers making mass quantities. Regions like Sancerre are no exception; hasty pressing of the grapes, cultured yeasts to race through fermentation in big steel tanks, and rapid bottling by spring at the latest. But not with Domaine Vacheron – they farm biodynamically, hand pick in small parcels and ferment using indigenous yeasts in small oak barrels. This is not your average Sancerre, with fresh fruits leading to a powerful mineral backbone with vibrant acidity. Enjoy with fresh oysters or goats cheese.
Nick Jennery
Having found new world sauvignon blanc to be too “in your face”, this was a delightful return. Lots of green and stone fruit notes, great acidity and minerality, without being over the top. Easy going with lots of interesting character