The Baillys have farmed in Sancerre from father to son since 1700 but it was only in the early 1950s that Sylvain Bailly began to bottle his own wines and grow his business. His son Jacques has took the helm in the late 1980s and today, Jacques’ daughter Sonia manages the estate. The estate is spread over 23 separate parcels, mostly around Bué with holdings not only in the famous vineyards of Chêne Marchand, but also Grand Chemarin, le Château and les Chasseignes, true Sancerre royalty. Growing grapes at the higher elevations of Bué has its risks as the weather is often cool and damp, but the trade-off is the incredible limestone-rich caillottes that contributes to the brilliance of this vineyard’s Sauvignon Blanc. Chalky clay and marl soil with plenty of pebbles and a streak of quartz mixed in, gives the wines their amazing lift while, at the same time, laying down a solid, balanced structure of fruit, alcohol and acidity.
The 2023 was fermented in vat and racked off its lees in January 2024 to capture all of the seductive qualities we love in Sancerre. This cuvée for the U.S. is treated a little differently from the European wines as a small amount of CO2 gas is left in the bottle. By doing so, the fresh fruit qualities of the wine are better preserved throughout transit so that the bottles drunk in the States are as lively, if not livelier, than those drunk in France. And ‘lively’ describes it perfectly: Lively and deep.
A classic bottle of Sancerre, this is still one of the best values we ever see in top-flight, single-site wine from the Loire Valley and, with spring on the way, you’ll love it alongside everything from oysters, sautéed fish dishes or a fresh herb salad with goat cheese rounds. Yum!
