2020 Domaine Henri Bourgeois Sancerre La Bourgeoise Blanc

Domaine Henri Bourgeois is located in Chavignol, where the wine estate covered 2 hectares 60 years ago. The tenth generation of the family business now owns 65 hectares, which supplies grapes for half of the wines produced. The family also owns a property in New Zealand's Marlborough region and even bottles some of their spicy sancerres. The top wines of sancerre and pouilly-fumé mature in oak barrels.

The luxury of a special domain like Henri Bourgeois is that it has built up a beautiful vineyard property over the years. This makes it possible to make different Sancerres from different substrates, and they all smell and taste different. It also nicely shows that the terroir has a strong influence on the Sauvignon Blanc, stronger than many people think. La Bourgeoise is made from old sticks on warm slopes with a high content of silex (flint), which were already used by the monks of Saint-Satur to make wine. This terroir produces wines with a special minerality and a sumptuous mouthfeel, with a lot of length. That effect is further enhanced by the low yields in this vineyard. The wine gets even more strength and depth because part is raised in barrels of oak from the Tronçais. The rest remains on stainless steel, to nicely emphasize the fruity side of this wine.

La Bourgeoise is made from old sticks on warm slopes with a high content of silex (flint), with a lot of minerality. Broad, flint, vanilla, touch of grapefruit and gooseberries, depth and intensity, fine acidity and bitters. Dry white wine. Fine with vitello tonnato, veal schnitzel, smoked salmon on toast, lightly matured goat cheeses.
Awards:
Vintage 2019 - 93pt (Robert Parker Wine Advocate)
Vintage 2019 - 90pt (Wine Enthusiast)
Vintage 2020 - 93pt (Wine Spectator)