Domaine Delaporte Sancerre Rouge 2020
Type: Red
Country: France
Region: Loire Valley, Sancerre
Grape Variety: 100% Pinot Noir
Climate: Continental climate with hot summers and long, cold winters
Terroir: The Sancerre Rouge is crafted from Pinot Noir vines which range in age from twenty to forty years old. 70% of these vines are planted in argilo-siliceous (clay and sandy-flint) soil. The remaining 30% are planted in limestone soil. These vines are cultivated in a sustainable manner, which shows maximum respect for the ecosystem and the environment
Winemaking: The grapes are 100 per cent hand-picked and are sorted manually on a sorting table. Daily pumping over, pigeage and constant sampling, in order to extract from the cap of grape skins and solid matter the maximum amount of fruit aromas, colours and tannins contained in the skin of the grapes. Malolactic fermentation takes place in 228-litre oak barrels for 50% of the harvest and in stainless-steel vats for the other half. The wine is bottled after six months of ageing without filtration
Color: Deep ruby violet
Nose: Intense and well integrated with aromas of very ripe red fruits (cherry, blackberry, and raspberry)
Palate: Very round and smooth on the palate, with tight tannins over hints of smoke and prune
About the Winery:
Located in the heart of the Sancerre region is Domaine Vincent Delaporte and Sons, a family business which has been passed from father to son since the 17th century. The winery is located in the charming village of Chavignol, recognized as, perhaps, the prettiest village in the region and for its famous goat cheese. Today the Domaine is run by Jean-Yves Delaporte (Vincent’s son) and his wife and son, Nathalie and Matthieu. Matthieu has recently taken over the viticulture and winemaking.
The Delaporte property is comprised of 34 different parcels of vineyard totalling 24 hectares. About 75 per cent is dedicated to Sauvignon Blanc and the remainder to Pinot Noir. The vast majority of their holdings have southern exposure ensuring ripe, mature fruit each vintage. Included in these parcels, are plots on the famous Monts Damnés hillside and in the walled clos – Cul de Beaujeu.
The Delaportes are the only family to produce a pinot noir from the latter site. Across their different sites, the Delaporte experience the full range of Sancerre soil types from Silex (flint) to the limestone-derived “caillottes” and “terres blanches”. The vines are cultivated following the “culture traditionnelle” philosophy, which combines ancestral and organic agricultural methods. The key principle is respect for the soil and the environment.
The family likes to describe winemaking and their role in it as “a great piece of music, it requires three components: the composer, which is the terroir; the instrument adapted to its composer, which is the grape variety, and the artist, which has to marry the two together.
