2007 Domaine Vacheron Sancerre Rouge “Belle Dame”
Our last offer being a Sancerre Blanc, it seems fitting to follow up with a Sancerre Rouge. In the 1950s, very few winemakers bottled their own wines. In fact, every winemaker in the region was also a farmer who had other crops and animals since it wasn’t possible to make a living off wine alone. Yet during this time, the domaine aimed to make excellent wine. Jean Vacheron travelled frequently to taste wine with the best producers in Burgundy, and so began an enduring family friendship with another producer of excellent Pinot Noir, Aubert De Villaine of the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (known shorthand as DRC to wine geeks). Two generations later, the Vacheron estate is now run by cousins Jean-Domique and Jean-Laurent, the two sons of Jean’s two sons.When we showed up for a visit early on a frigid January morning, Jean-Do and Jean-Laurent greeted us at the cave – they had been out since dawn working together to prune the vines of Belle Dame, their 1.5 hectare plot of Pinot Noir located within Les Romains, one of Sancerre’s best vineyards. “It’s a task we like to do together every year,” explained Jean-Laurent. It makes sense that La Belle Dame would be the best cuvée of the domaine – Jean-Laurent spent a few years in Burgundy, working with Aubert de Villaine at DRC, learning to make excellent Pinot Noir, and also learning about the benefits of biodynamic viticulture.
The entire 46 hectare Domaine Vacheron has been certified biodynamic, and it’s amazing to me to see a domaine of this size retain exceptional quality in their work – all the grapes are hand-harvested, all the vineyards are certified (not just a “show vineyard” near the cellar), and all the wines are excellent. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that the two owners are out by themselves working the vines at dawn in the freezing cold.
Belle Dame is unabashedly Burgundian in style – a silky, aromatic Pinot Noir that reminds me of the aerian reds from Chambolle-Musigny. Let's be honest - we're not in the same terroir as the DRC, but this is a fine Pinot with a great sense of terroir. The 2007 is starting to hit it’s stride – a touch of earth notes mixed with cherry fruit, but you could certainly keep a few bottles tucked away.
2007 Domaine Vacheron Sancerre Rouge “Belle Dame”, 750 ml
| Quantity | Discount | Pick-up or Delivery in Paris (price includes local TVA tax) | Shipping to USA (price includes all delivery, customs, and insurance fees) |
| 1 | - | 36.00€ | 39.14€ |
| 6 | 10% | 32.40€ | 36.13€ |
| 12 | 18% | 29.52€ | 33.72€ |
Jean-Laurent is one of the first winemakers I met when I moved to France (that’s a much longer story, but worth telling another time), and I’m happy to be able to share this excellent cuvee with you.
To order, email wine@springparis.fr or call the shop at +33 (0)1 58 62 44 30.
Joshua Adler, Spring Caviste
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