Gérard Boulay 'Clos de Beaujeu' Sancerre 2022

The Clos de Beaujeu is among the most historic sites in the village of Chavignol. In the 14th century the Clos de Beaujeu supplied the Cathedral of Bourges with white wine. At that time, Sancerre was famous for it's red wines. Boulay's Clos de Beaujeu is a richer, denser step up from the Chavignol village wine.

Organic/Bio The most historic vineyard in Sancerre has been famous for the quality of its white wine since the 14th century (when most of the rest of the region was planted to red grapes). By 1380, when one Jean Boulay is documented to have been working as a winegrower in Sancerre, it was the primary source of white wines for the Cathedral of Bourges. While the walls built by the Church in the 1400s (made from clay and straw) are long gone, the vineyard remains one of Sancerre's finest.

The white, dusty, Kimmeridgian chalk and limestone soils help Sauvignon Blanc here retain freshness, minerality and vigor - important since Clos de Beaujeu also gives the region's richest, most dense, wines.  There's always plenty of intensity and density, both of which need 3-5 years to pull back and reveal the amazing stony minerality here. Gerard Boulay farms around 1.5 acres here, making a powerful Sancerre that's redolent of tart peach, Meyer lemon and fresh floral aromas and flavors. The smokiness and crushed rock minerality will grow towards the fore over the next few years. Sancerre for lobster and other rich foods that will show well for 15+ years.