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Domaine Vacheron

2008 Domaine Vacheron, Sancerre

France Sauvignon Blanc Loire Sancerre 750ML

Wine Advocate

89

Vinous

91

CellarTracker

89
/
2008 Domaine Vacheron Sancerre
Domaine Vacheron

2008 Domaine Vacheron, Sancerre

France Sauvignon Blanc Loire Sancerre 750ML

Wine Advocate

89

Vinous

91

CellarTracker

89
/
0 In Stock

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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.

Domaine Vacheron

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.

Meet the Producer

Domaine Vacheron

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.

The Wine Advocate

Wine Advocate

89

From largely flint-rich soils, The Vacheron 2008 Sancerre offers scents and flavors of red currant, lime gooseberry, nettle, pennyroyal, and cress – all underlain by wet stone and salt, and putting me in mind of a hypothetical crossing between Sancerre and Ruwer Riesling. Satisfyingly juicy and refreshing in finish, this generous yet refined Sauvignon should drink well over the next 12-18 months, though I don’t pick it to have the depth or incipient complexity that would merit aging, as is indeed not the Vacherons’ intent for this cuvee. Jean-Laurent and Jean-Dominique Vacheron’s sophisticated winery and ambitious plans (including commencing a program for re-propagating selection massale vines, and biodynamic certification, achieved in 2008) are the source for a great many fascinating Sancerres, and it’s clear to anyone who tastes through their cellar today and hears them discuss their wines that the best is yet to come. One of the trends I find fruitful here is the move toward larger barrels – including some foudres – and less new wood. Despite the advantages – all things considered – of 2008 over 2009 in Sancerre, the infant 2009s here display in some instances more finesse than their 2008 counterparts thanks in significant measure, I perceive, to refinements in elevage. The previous generations at Vacheron were appellation leaders in promoting Pinot Noir (a grape that has in fact been planted around Sancerre since before the phylloxera; and before Sauvignon) in top-notch rather than expendable sites, so that Pinot now makes up just over 25% of the domaine’s acreage. The younger Vacherons have eagerly followed that lead, although I must say I find their style of vinification in some recent vintages over-eager, with a degree of extraction and woodiness that the fruit seems inherently challenged to handle and the mineral character associated with Sancerre too austere to compliment. Whether American consumers will consider good enough value reds whose European reputation already assures them a high rate of return must simply sort itself out in the marketplace. Most of the Vacheron wines, incidentally – especially their reds – are released very late by local standards. A Jon-David Headrick Selection (various importers), Asheville, NC; tel. (828) 252 8245; also, a Peter Vezan Selection (various importers), Paris; fax 011 33 1 42 55 42 93

Vinous

Vinous

91

Very pale yellow. Highly aromatic bouquet of lemongrass, lime, smoky minerals and anise, plus a hint of white pepper. Dry, focused and pure, offering mineral-laced citrus and orchard fruit flavors given grip by dusty minerals. The finish is refreshingly spicy and very persistent. This will be fleshier and deeper with a year's more bottle age.

What the Critics are Saying

The Wine Advocate

Wine Advocate

89

From largely flint-rich soils, The Vacheron 2008 Sancerre offers scents and flavors of red currant, lime gooseberry, nettle, pennyroyal, and cress – all underlain by wet stone and salt, and putting me in mind of a hypothetical crossing between Sancerre and Ruwer Riesling. Satisfyingly juicy and refreshing in finish, this generous yet refined Sauvignon should drink well over the next 12-18 months, though I don’t pick it to have the depth or incipient complexity that would merit aging, as is indeed not the Vacherons’ intent for this cuvee. Jean-Laurent and Jean-Dominique Vacheron’s sophisticated winery and ambitious plans (including commencing a program for re-propagating selection massale vines, and biodynamic certification, achieved in 2008) are the source for a great many fascinating Sancerres, and it’s clear to anyone who tastes through their cellar today and hears them discuss their wines that the best is yet to come. One of the trends I find fruitful here is the move toward larger barrels – including some foudres – and less new wood. Despite the advantages – all things considered – of 2008 over 2009 in Sancerre, the infant 2009s here display in some instances more finesse than their 2008 counterparts thanks in significant measure, I perceive, to refinements in elevage. The previous generations at Vacheron were appellation leaders in promoting Pinot Noir (a grape that has in fact been planted around Sancerre since before the phylloxera; and before Sauvignon) in top-notch rather than expendable sites, so that Pinot now makes up just over 25% of the domaine’s acreage. The younger Vacherons have eagerly followed that lead, although I must say I find their style of vinification in some recent vintages over-eager, with a degree of extraction and woodiness that the fruit seems inherently challenged to handle and the mineral character associated with Sancerre too austere to compliment. Whether American consumers will consider good enough value reds whose European reputation already assures them a high rate of return must simply sort itself out in the marketplace. Most of the Vacheron wines, incidentally – especially their reds – are released very late by local standards. A Jon-David Headrick Selection (various importers), Asheville, NC; tel. (828) 252 8245; also, a Peter Vezan Selection (various importers), Paris; fax 011 33 1 42 55 42 93

Vinous

Vinous

91

Very pale yellow. Highly aromatic bouquet of lemongrass, lime, smoky minerals and anise, plus a hint of white pepper. Dry, focused and pure, offering mineral-laced citrus and orchard fruit flavors given grip by dusty minerals. The finish is refreshingly spicy and very persistent. This will be fleshier and deeper with a year's more bottle age.