2024 Domaine Gueneau Sancerre "Les Terres Blanches", Loire Valley, France

ABOUT THIS WINE

The 2024 Domaine Gueneau “Les Terres Blanches” Sancerre comes from 25-year-old Sauvignon Blanc vines rooted mainly in the chalky clay-limestone slopes (terres blanches) of Sury-en-Vaux and Chavignol, soils that lend depth and minerality to the wine. Farmed under a sustainable culture raisonnée approach with grass cover between rows and single Guyot pruning, the grapes are hand-harvested, gently pressed in a pneumatic press, and undergo a short cold maceration before fermenting in stainless steel. The wine is then aged for about eight months on its fine lees, which adds texture and complexity while preserving the bright citrus, herbal, and flinty character that defines this terroir-driven Loire Valley Sancerre.

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER

Elisa’s family has been in Sancerre since before they kept records… a long time. The family has been farming ever since and wine as always been a part, small at the beginning, of the farm. It is Elisa’s father Alain who started to focus only on wine in 1970.

The Gueneau estate is comprised of 35 acres of vineyards planted on the rather steep slopes that surround the villages of Sury-en-Vaux, Chavignol, and Sancerre. 80% of the vines are planted in the calcareous clay soils known locally as “terres blanches,” which give the wine its body, richness, and complexity. The other 20% are planted in “caillottes” also referred to as “griottes,” stony soils that lend lovely fruity notes to the wine. Sauvignon Blanc represents 75% of the production. The red and rosé are made from Pinot Noir. All is done with an environmentally responsible approach to preserve this terroir, an irreplaceable source of such flavorful wines.

Working the land, taking care of the soil…daily, Elisa strives to find the balance between the vines’ needs and respect of the terroir which has been so generously given to us by Mother Nature. A well-thought-out approach is her priority! She observes her plots throughout the year to care for them as best possible. To respect nature and the environment, she keeps grass between her rows of vines and she works the soil around the base of the vines.