Alsace Loire Valley Rhône Southwest Champagne

zeus: loire_valley

Domaine Daulny, Sancerre

Etienne Daulny’s Sauvignon Blanc vines are centered in the tiny hamlet of Chaudenay, close by the village of Verdigny. Both hamlet and village are renowned terroirs of the sector of the Sancerre appellation that lies to the north and northwest of the town of Sancerre. The complexity of his wine comes from the sheer diversity of his sites: Daulny’s 15 hectares (47+ acres) of vines are spread out over nearly twenty different parcels that cover every conceivable exposure and soil-type in the sector and some of its most famous lieux-dit. In particular, he has a 14 year-old plot of vines in Les Monts Damnés, the famous lieu-dit of Chavignol; 50 year-old vines in Les Bois Butteux, a continuation of the famous plateau La Crêle; and 50 year-old vines on caillottes at La Perrière , the famous lieu-dit at Verdigny.

The Wines

• Sancerre blanc: Grapes from all of the Daulny vines, as well as the other sites, go into Daulny's normal cuvée of Sancerre, which is made and aged entirely in stainless steel tanks without malolactic fermentation in order to conserve the fresh, bright fruit of the Sauvignon Blanc grape. Daulny’s Sancerre typically has a bright nose of white-to-pink grapefruit, white flowers, and pronounced minerality from the soils.
• Vieilles Vignes Clos de Chaudenay: the grapes for this single-vineyard cuvée come from 40-year-old vines on a single, steep one-hectare (2 1/2 acre) slope of Kimmeridgian clay-limestone soil in the lieu-dit Clos de Chaudenay. This slope faces the southwest, well-shielded from northerly winds and with good exposure to the sun. Yields are low, and the wine is always bottled much later than his normal cuvée of Sancerre. The vinification and aging are in stainless steel tanks, but Daulny adds a small amount of wood-aged wine- two well-used 600-liter demi-muids, perhaps a fifth of the total blend- to open up the "Vieilles Vignes" and add some richness to it."Made from 40-year-old sauvignon blanc vines, this Sancerre captures the essence of the grape with floral, mineral and ground coffee bean aromas and grapefruit, white peach flavors. A small percentage was aged in older oak but the fruit from this vineyard is powerful enough to absorb it, giving the wine a bit of texture and body. With bright acidity and fruit, this is a great wine to have with a fish dish cooked with fava beans as well as one where the favas are the main event."--The San Francisco Examiner, May 12, 2007.
• Sancerre rouge: The vines around the village of Verdigny make some of the best Pinot Noir in Sancerre, and 20% of Daulny’s production is red. The grapes are hand-harvested; most but not all of the bunches are de-stemmed and given a 10-day vatting. Daulny vinifies and ages the wine in oak, but, in order to conserve fruit and avoid a bouquet dominated by wood, the aging is done is large, 600 liter demi-muids which are 6 to 7 years of age. No new oak is used here. The red Sancerre has bright red raspberry or cherry fruit and ages well.