SANCERRE WHITE 2012
Cuvée : Domaine
Grape-variety: Sauvignon
Age of vineyard: 25 years old
Density of planting: 6500 / ha
Soils: Terres blanches / Argilo-calcaire
“White soil” / Clay-limestone
Yield: 60 hl/ha
40% of this Cuvée comes from vine with grass planted between rows.
Fermentation at low température (14-17°c),
Maturing on total lees during 6 months.
Alcohol: 12.5% vol
55,000 bottles produced
Pruning System: Taille Guyot.
Disbudding up to 7-8 leaves
Fertilzation in Spring; mostly to add nitrogen and magnesium – for the past 5 years the fertilizer used is the one authorized for use in vineyards that are certified organic – a fertilizer that is made from fish excrement.
40 % of the vines is enherbées (allows grass growing between rows of vines) and on this 40% there is no chemical herbicide at all. The other 60% is also worked by hand – some years depending on the climactic conditions there is no treatment, other years this ‘other’ 60% is treated with a minimal amount of chemical herbicide, but mostly an organic-based herbicide.
The Winery:
Machine Harvest
For the harvest; self-empyting bins are used; these bins are specifically designed as to not crush the grapes.
The grapes are then sorted and travel on conveyer belt to the fist floor of the winery to be placed in the pneumatic press. The sorting table/conveyor belt and the press are designed to ensure the grapes are not bruised or otherwise handled aggressively. Everything is done to respect the harvest.
Afterwards, the grape juice flows by gravity into the winery. The grape juice is left cold (8-10 °C) or 48 hours. Then there is débourbage (separation of the clear juice from the waste generated by the grape skin) The juice is then sent into tank where it is launched into alcoholic fermentation by selected yeasts. The alcoholic fermentation lasts about three weeks at low temperature (8-10 °C) to begin the fermentation and
18-19 °C at the end.
At the end of the fermentation the tanks are filled and the wine sits on full or total lees; instead of “fine lees” it’s important to note that there is no racking at the end of the fermentation. The lees are stirred for about 2 months – about every 10 days; this is to give the wine a little weight or volume.
The wines are ‘sur lie’ for about 6 months and then the wines are racked; lightly filtered and then bottled.