Domaine Vacheron
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12 products
The Vacheron family has been influential in Sancerre since the turn of the century--from day one, this has always been a family operation. Great-grandfather Maurice Vacheron tended a few vines in the silex-rich soils of his hometown back when Sancerre was but a forlorn stop on a village road. His son, Jean Vacheron, was the first of the family to specialize in wine production. Moving from cultivating grain to Pinot Noir, Jean is one of the main reasons why the family's Pinot Noir bottlings are some of the finest in the region. Today his grandsons, Jean-Laurent and Jean-Dominique have propelled Vacheron to an even higher echelon, following a Burgundian methodology of vinifying and bottling select vineyards separately, creating an awe-inspiring range of every color of the Sancerre rainbow.
Sancerre is synonymous with Sauvignon Blanc, sure, but the Pinot Noir is incredibly special here. The Rosé is gulpable, yet thought-provoking, specks of flint and limestone adding spice and lift. “Belle Dame” is the equivalent of a Grand Cru in Sancerre, coming from 50-year-old vines in pure flint soils; riveting, silky and spicy akin to a great Burgundy. “Les Marnes” takes its name from the loamy, clay-rich soils, chock (chalk?)-full of seashell fossils more tightly-concentrated than most of the region. The result is a full-bodied red with fresh, bright red fruit.
Of the whites, "Les Romains" is the pick of the knowing collector, as it’s one of the first Sancerres grown on pure Silex (flinty) soils, generating intensity, depth and peerless complexity that is as age-worthy as any great White Burgundy. "Chambrates" is a younger vineyard planted to clay and limestone, delivering ripe citrus and floral flavors with a long, textural finish. "Le Paradis" is a funny name as it is a vineyard largely devoid of soil, just vines planted straight into chalk which luckily is porous enough to allow the roots to tunnel deep. Such situations generate great concentration yet brightness, and tiny yields; zesty citrus and spiced floral aromas are a nice complement to the brilliant streak of acid throughout. "Le Pavé" is a cooler site with limestone-clay soils, creating a more classic, clean and bright style of Sancerre. "L’Enclos des Remparts" is sourced from a younger plot of vines, incredibly unique as the vines are ungrafted, delivering incredibly pure flavors and showcasing the unique smoke and spice of flinty soils.
