Showing all 5 results

• White Wine

  2021 Sancerre, J. de Villebois

  £2695

  A textured and richly flavoured Sancerre with intense herbaceous, gooseberry and citrus aromas, beautifully balanced by a vibrant and refreshing crisp palate.

  The Sancerre appellation in Central France surrounds the eponymous town, which sits atop a hill overlooking the River Loire. The grapes for this cuvée are grown in vineyards which are located on these hilly slopes and are planted across the three main soil types of Sancerre. Les Caillottes, which is made up of a high proportion of stony fragments of coarse Kimmeridgian limestone upon a clay subsoil and the wines from these soils impart aromatic structure and freshness; Les Terres Blanches which are made up of Kimmeridgian marl and is extremely rich in fossilised shellfish and has the distinctive characteristic of turning white when it dries, hence its local name, which translates as ‘white earth’. These wines from this soil offer complexity, opulence and great aromatic finesse. Finally the flinty Silex soils which impart minerality; all three soils types have the common thread of a high proportion of clay.

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• White Wine

  2019 Sancerre Cuvee Silex, Domaine Serge Laloue

  £3300

  Serge Laloue has always been one of our favourite winemakers in the Loire, making incredible Sancerre. This we think is their finest Cuvee, crafted by Franck Laloue the Sancerre Silex has intense aromas of smoky graphite with mineral notes of oyster shell that are complemented by zesty orange peel and Mirabelle plum. This fresh, supple cuvée delivers concentrated citrus flavours through to a bright and uplifting mineral finish.

  The grapes come from a three-hectare estate vineyard, where the vines have an average age of 40 years, producing 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 ‘silex’, a flinty clay that produces elegant wines with distinctive graphite and mineral characters. The vineyard is currently in conversion to organic status, a natural progression for the Laloue family as 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.

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• White Wine

  2019 Sancerre ‘Les Poitevinnes’, Domaine Serge Laloue

  £3300

  Serge Laloue has always been one of our favourite winemakers in the Loire, making incredible Sancerre.  His ‘Les Poitevinnes’ Cuvee is an elegant and complex expression of Sancerre, with concentrated Mirabelle plum and peach underpinned by delicate hints of liquorice, anise and mineral notes. The lovely rounded texture on the palate is beautifully framed by mineral freshness.

  The grapes are grown in 0.55 hectares of vineyard within the estate, from vines with an average age of 30 to 35 years. The vines face a south-easterly orientation, maximising exposure to the sun to assist the ripening of the berries. The soils are predominantly calcareous clay, which typically has a high limestone content, producing elegant and textured wines with distinctive minerality. The vineyard is currently in conversion to organic status, a natural progression for the Laloue family as 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.

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• White Wine

  2020 Sancerre ‘Terre de Silex’, Chateau de Sancerre

  £3595

  A fresh, invigorating and mineral expression of Sancerre from the famous Silex soils, this stunning cuvée shows beautiful structure and longevity.

  The 55-hectare estate comprises 93 different plots over the five villages of Thauvenay, Ménétréol, Bué, Sancerre and Crézancy. This combination offers the possibility to select from the best plots from a range of terroirs with distinct mesoclimates, resulting in complexity in the wine. The region’s rolling hills and semi-continental climate produce beautifully structured Sauvignon Blancs that are crisp and fresh, evoking aromas of ripe gooseberries, smoke and gunflint notes. The grapes for this cuvée come from two plots rich in clay and with a high flint content, known as Silex. Silex is a type of sedimentary soil which is rich in flint; renowned for imbuing the wines with a distinctive flinty, mineral character.

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• White Wine

  2020 Sancerre Silex, J. de Villebois

  £4250

  In the glass Striking, aromatic notes of flint, blackcurrant and lemon lead to a mineral-rich palate. Beautifully balanced with a crisp, refreshing finish.

  The Sauvignon Blanc grapes for the Silex cuvée are grown in the famous ‘Silex’ soils of Sancerre, which are made up of clay-siliceous soils composed of flint (Silex), clay and siliceous conglomerates. The sought-after Silex soils make up just 20% of the Sancerre appellation and are considered as ‘early-ripening soil’ as the flinty stones capture the heat from the sun during the day and radiate it at night, which helps to accelerate the maturity of the grapes. This is beneficial is such a cool, continental climate, where the Sauvignon Blanc retains its hallmark acidity, as it offers balance to the wines. The grapes for this cuvée come from hillside plots, where the vines are over 35 years old.

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