Sancerre Blanc Le Chêne Marchand
Sancerre Blanc Le Chêne Marchand
Le Chêne Marchand is a very well known named place in the commune of Bué.
Vintage
The rainy winter is followed by an early bud break and rapid vegetative growth: disbudding starts mid-April.
The vineyard is healthy and flowering occurs between May 20th and 28th. The summer is very hot and dry, a heatwave in August causing some sunburnt clusters. Harvest starts end of August with lower yield in the second period due to another heatwave.
Terroir
A blend of several plots within the same named place
Upper Oxfordian limestone locally known as “caillottes”
Shallow, well-drained soil
The vines are planted at mid-slope at an altitude of 240 to 260 metres
Cultural practices
Hoeing
Poussard Guyot pruning
Disbudding in spring
Integrated crop protection
Organic fertilizers since 1989
Hand harvested
The vines
Grape variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Planting density: 6,800 to 8,800 vines/hectare depending on the age of the plots
Winemaking
The entire bunches of grapes are fed into pneumatic presses via a conveyor belt
Cold settling for approximately 36 hours
Fermentation of the musts in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks for 25 - 30 days and 5% in oak barrels
Lees ageing for 10 months
Racked and blended in July 2021, then matured on fine lees for another 12 months
Filtered and bottled in July 2022
Tasting notes
Visual: wheat coloured with golden hue
Nose: subtle on opening, mingling fruity (candied orange) and floral (white and melliferous flowers) notes. Olfaction is completed by the smell of ginger bread and vanilla. The mineral structure is then taking over as expected, featuring chalky scents.
Palate: supple attack offering a powdry texture that contributes to the nice balance of power and finesse. The warmness of alcohol shows up at mid-palate, but is perfectly balanced by acidity and delicate bitterness. Baking flavours enhance the palate and lead to a finish on the taste of fresh almonds.
Food pairings: turkey filet with asparagus cream, lemon marinated veal filet, duck breast on mango
Serving temperature: 8 to 10°C
Ageing potential: 8 to 10 years