Domaine Delaporte Sancerre Rouge Cuvee Silex 2019 / 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 vines of about 40 years of age, grown on clayey-limestone soils
Winemaking: The Pinot Noir grapes for this wine are selected and harvested manually. After vinification, the wine is aged for 10 months in the barrel
Color: A ruby red and purple tones
Nose: Intense and characterized by aromas of red fruits and toasted notes
Palate: On the palate, the wine is round and smooth with silky, well-integrated tannins and a mineral touch that adds breadth and depth. The finish is long and recalls notes of caramel
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.
