Domaine de la Villaudière Sancerre Rouge 2022

The vines are cultivated, using sustainable agricultural methods. The vineyard is in conversion to HVE which officially recognises the environmental performance of winegrowers, including biodiversity conservation, plant protection strategies, managed fertiliser use and water resource management. Herbicides are not used, the soil is carefully ploughed and cover crops help to limit yields. The Pinot Noir vines are 40 years old and are reaching the pinnacle of their quality potential. Half of the vineyard is made up of a clay-limestone soil locally referred to as "Terres Blanches", which translates as white soils, while the remaining half is a drier, stony limestone soil called "Caillotes", which incorporates small pebbles. The vines undergo debudding and the leaves are thinned during the summer months. Following a rigorous sorting process, the grapes underwent cold maceration in stainless steel which lasted for a few days. Temperature controlled fermentation took place in stainless steel retaining the purity of fruit during which the wine was pumped over and the cap was punched down regularly to obtain a structured and concentrated wine. The wine was gently pressed and transferred to barrel via gravity where it underwent natural malolactic conversion. The wine spent 12 months maturing in French oak barrels before being gently filtered prior to bottling. Vinified with the addition of minimal sulphur.