GERARD BOULAY SANCERRE A CHAVIGNOL 2023

Style: Rocks & Minerals

Gerard Boulay is a very humble, quiet man in his early 60s who four years ago moved his cellar out of the village of Chavignol in order to have more space to handle the crop from his 12 hectares of vines. With four workers assisting him in the vineyards, he has done an excellent job over the past couple of years to delineate the style of each of his sites. All are harvested by hand and fermented with wild yeasts in 300-liter oak barrels, but you never taste the wood as you often do in the wines of his colleagues. Given the crystalline purity of his sauvignon blancs, he has become one of my favorite producers of the central Loire. If you want to know what true Sancerre tastes like, try one of his single-vineyard bottlings. It does not come any better! Further, even the entry-level wine that he calls Tradition, which represents half of his total production, offers excellent value for money. JOEL B PAYNE

The juice ferments spontaneously and rests for eight months in tank, on lees, with a small volume also fermented in a single large wooden cask. This is the only blended cuvée in the Boulay lineup, yet even here, we can taste the finesse, texture and stony/earthy/salty minerality that has made this humble grower one of France¿s most respected vignerons. 

It is a fleshier release than last year, and you can look forward to flavours of intense candied citrus, sweet herbs, Kaffir lime and white stone fruit intertwined with a lovely rocky texture alongside deliciously salty, mineral vibrancy, caraway spice and mouthwatering phenolic structure. It finishes with stony definition, chalky cut and great length. The first wine in the range is already one of the finest expressions of Sauvignon Blanc you are likely to find. BIBENDUM IMPORTER

Region: Loire Valley, FRANCE

Variety: Sauvignon Blanc 

ABV: 12.5%

Liquor Act 2007. It is against the law to sell or supply alcohol to, or to obtain alcohol on behalf of a person under the age of 18 years. Lic No. LIQP770016424

*We endeavour to ensure the correct vintage is displayed, however some variations may occur in store and for delivered bottles.