Description

ABOUT THE PRODUCER:
The domain is located five kilometres south of Sancerre in Thauvenay and was established by Serge Laloue in the 1960s. Christine and her brother Franck have continued their father’s work since the 1990s and Clément, Franck’s son, recently joined the domain following his viticulture studies. The estate revolves around an environmentally responsible approach with meticulous work in the vineyards to respect the natural balance of the vines and obtain the highest quality grapes. In 2019, the domain started the conversion to organic farming, a natural progression as their farming methods were already very close to organic. The first certified organic vintage will be 2023. The domain is HVE certified, a complementary certification recognising environmental biodiversity and natural resource management.

THE VINTAGE:
2022 was an excellent vintage that was both sunny and balanced. The climatic hazards generally spared the pivotal moments of the vine’s growth, with the historically dry summer interrupted by some rare, but abundant, rainfall, which helped to refresh the vines. The harvest started with the vines and fruit in impeccable health combined with good volume and quality.

ABOUT THE VINEYARD:
The grapes come from three hectares of vineyard within the estate, from vines with an average age of 30 to 35 years, which produce low yields of concentrated fruit. The vines face a south-easterly orientation, maximising exposure to the sun to assist ripening of the berries. The soils are 1/3 sandy clay which imparts a fruity dimension, 1/3 clay flint, which imparts a smoky mineral character and 1/3 clay limestone, resulting in elegant and fresh wines. The vineyard is currently in conversion to organic status, indeed the farming methods used over many years have followed these principles. Vineyard management techniques include ploughing the soil instead of using herbicides, growing cover crops between the rows of vines and sexual confusion of predators, to maintain the health of the vines and the biodiversity of the environment.

THE WINEMAKING PROCESS:
The grapes were carefully selected and underwent a cold pre-fermentation maceration followed by gentle crushing. At the beginning of fermentation, which took place with selected yeasts, regular ‘pigeage’ or punching-down of the cap took place, submerging the skins into the juice to extract the desired levels of colour, flavour and tannins. Once fermentation was complete, 50% of the wine was aged in large French oak tanks of 60 hectolitres, while the remaining 50% was matured in 600-litre French oak barrels. The wine was bottled without fining or filtration.

OUR TASTING NOTES:
Intense aromas of raspberry, wild strawberry and red fruits lead to a supple and velvety palate, with lovely purity of fruit leading to a touch of cherry-praline on the finish.

GRAPE VARIETY:
Pinot Noir 100%.