Henri Bourgeois "La Porte du Caillou" Sancerre Rouge 2018

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.

This Sancerre rouge is created from Pinot Noir vines growing on chalky-clay soils. Vinification begins with fermentation in vats (12 days of maceration) during which time the cap is punched down and the grape must is pumped over twice daily in order to extract a maximum of color and tannins from the grape skins. Once the malolactic fermentation is achieved, the wine is matured for 6 to 8 months in Troncais forest oak barrels (1/3 of which are replaced yearly).