Description
It's no secret that Domaine Vacheron is one of our favorite producers in Sancerre. Their clean white label bottle has graced our shelves continuously for years with each successive vintage. The fact that they have been able to maintain such incredible consistency is rather remarkable. Sometimes, we don't want to ask too many questions and just know that they always deliver a wonderfully balanced, richly textured Sauvignon Blanc with just the right amount of fruit and acidity. The Vacherons have been an important family in Sancerre since the late 1800s. The great-grandfather, Maurice, tended vines when Sancerre was just a provincial village, long before it became a world-class winegrowing appellation. Maurice's son, Jean, was the first in the family to begin producing wine, and he converted the family's grain cultivation to Pinot Noir. (To this day, Vacheron is one of the largest—which isn't really saying a lot comparatively—Sancerre Rouge producers in the region.) Jean's sons, Denis and Jean-Louis, established the winery and ran it jointly; Denis managed the vineyards, 11 hectares of which are planted to Pinot Noir and 29 hectares to Sauvignon Blanc, and Jean-Louis managed the cellars. They are both still intimately involved but their sons, Jean-Laurent and Jean-Dominique run the estate today and do it beautifully. The vineyards were certified organic in 2003 and the winery was converted to biodynamic agriculture the following year. Domaine Vacheron is one of the most consistent producers in Sancerre continually releasing.
