VINEYARDS IN THE FAMILY FOR SEVERAL GENERATIONS!
Both of my grandfathers, André Crochet and Lucien Picard, were winegrowers. In fact, in the early 1950s, Lucien Picard was one of the pioneers of bottling Sancerre wines in the region to be able to sell them in Paris. My father, Lucien Crochet, merged the two estates together. He developed relationships with the finest restaurants in Paris and it was only natural for the export markets to follow. Today, my wife Laurence, who is also the daughter of a Sancerre grower, and I oversee the estate while adding our own approach and sensitivity.
OVER 30 VINTAGES PRODUCED WITHIN THE FAMILY ESTATE?!
To develop my own vision of viticulture, I decided to leave Sancerre in 1978 to pursue my university studies in oenology in Dijon (Burgundy). After that, I met some very interesting people and had several extremely enriching experiences, especially during a formative training at Domaine Dujac in Morey-Saint-Denis, where I discovered another approach to Pinot Noir. I returned to the family estate in Sancerre in 1983. Since then, with each vintage, I have been vinifying 7 or 8 cuvées and continue to experiment with new techniques. Weather permitting and when my schedule allows me to have a little free time, it is a pleasure for me to leave my cellar, go for a walk in the vineyards and take a few photos. In Sancerre, a gust of wind can blow the clouds away and give way to stunning luminosity as if by magic.
TERROIRS AND VINES
Our vineyards cover a surface area of 35 hectares, 26 of which are planted with Sauvignon Blanc grapes for our white wines and 9 hectares with Pinot Noir for our reds and our rosé. Most of the vines are in Bué, though we also have plots in the adjacent communes of Sancerre, Crézancy and Vinon.
The wealth of our vineyards is linked to their soils, which overlie calcareous clay rock and an Oxfordian or Kimmeridgian subsoil. Our plots are located on east, south and west-facing slopes at altitudes varying between 240 and 280 metres, which allows us to harvest the grapes when they are at their optimum peak of ripeness.
