Domaine Delaporte Sancerre Rouge Cul de Beaujeu 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: Cul de Beaujeu: a Clos of vines established by the monks of Beaujeu in the Middle Ages. This slope of exceptional Kimmeridgian marl terroir was the only vineyards in Sancerre to produce wine before the arrival of phylloxera vine disease
Winemaking: The grapes are handpicked in small cases of 12kg, sorted on a table, and then 100% de-stemmed. Alcoholic fermentation in small stainless steel vats lasts about twelve days; it is thermo controlled at 25°Celsius with daily manual pigeage or punching down the cap. Malolactic fermentation is carried out entirely in oak barrels that are one to five years old. The wine is bottled after twelve months of barrel ageing without filtration
Color: Dark red with purple highlights
Nose: Pleasant aromas of toasted bread, cocoa and coffee with delicate hints of tapenade, blueberries, black cherries and pastry
Palate: Ample with silky tannins giving a velvety feeling in the mouth over notes of blueberry tart, crème brulée and whiskey
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.
