Henri Bourgeois Sancerre Blanc “D’Antan”
WHY WE LOVE IT
- Henri Bourgeois Sancerre Blanc “D’Antan” has consistently won high awards and accolades, vintage after vintage.
- The grapes come from a vineyard first planted in 1936 where the soil is predominantly flinty.
- This vineyard has low yields. Everything is done to respect the terroir and to obtain the most beautiful grapes, including the use of organic fertilizer and grass cover.
- Only 12 wineries own wines on this slope, and Henri Bourgeois owns more of it than anyone, and in a prime location straddling the top of the hill.
Varietal Composition: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Elaboration: As a tribute to the old methods, we make our Sancerre “D’Antan” without either fining or filtration. Very small yield, fermentation in 4, 5 and 6-year-old-oak barrels followed by maturation on very fine lees. Only two rackings are carried out (according to the lunar cycle) before bottling.
Tasting Notes: The Henri Bourgeois Sancerre Blanc “D’Antan” is full of aromas such as lime, verbena but also delicate mineral nuances (flint). In mouth, fresh touch of grapefruits, almonds, hawthorn and light touch of coconuts. Its minerality gives it a great length. Concentrated, full and fine, equally excellent when young or up to 6 – 8 years aging.
PRESS
2014 – 92 Wine Spectator | 94 Wine Enthusiast | 92 Wine Advocate
2015 – 94 Wine Enthusiast
2016 – 94 Wine Enthusiast
2017 – 94 Wine Enthusiast | 92 Wine Spectator
2018 – 93 Wine Enthusiast
2019 – 94 Wine Advocate | 94 James Suckling | 93 Wine Enthusiast | 92 Wine Spectator | 92 Vinous
2020 – 93 Wine Enthusiast | 93 James Suckling | 90 Vinous
PRODUCER BACKGROUND
For ten generations now the Bourgeois family has devoted its passion and values to Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, becoming Sancerre’s most well-known producer. The company is now led by the current generation of the family – Jean-Marie and Remi Bourgeois. The winery and family base is the village of Chavignol, and Domaine holdings can be found on a mosaic of plots throughout Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé. Each plot is isolated and worked in respect of its origin to reveal, in the most precise and true way, the expression of its terroir, whether we are talking Kimmeridgian marls, flint, or limestone clay soils. We see this expressed in a dizzying array of bottlings, many of which are amongst the most sought after of their kind in the Loire each year.