The estate
a family story
Pascal took over the family business in 1985. He was joined by Nicolas in 1993. The two brothers replanted some plots of vines, restored the old farm buildings – transforming them into a winery and cellars, and developed a direct sales network for all of their wines.
Following the accidental death of Nicolas in 2007, his wife Sophie joined the estate.
Today, the new generation has joined the family team. Victorien returns in 2019 after a National Diploma in Oenology in Dijon. He is followed in 2023 by Benjamin, his brother, after several experiences at Domaine de la Romanée Conti, at Domaine du Tunnel, and in New Zealand.
the terroirs
The estate covers a surface area of 17.20 hectares, of which 12.20 ha are planted with Sauvignon Blanc grapes and 5 ha with Pinot Noir.
Located on the abrupt slopes in the village of Maimbray, the majority of the plots overlie calcareous clay soil that dates back to the Kimmeridgian age (157 to 152 million years ago), also known locally as terre blanche, which means “white earth”.
A pocket of plots, located on the “Côte de Sury-en-Vaux” slope, are planted in Portlandian limestone soil (152 to 145 million years old).
Finally, a plot of Pinot Noir grapes, that go into the crafting of our “à Nicolas” cuvée, is located in the lieu-dit “les Garennes”, between Sancerre and Bué which also features limestone soil.
in the vineyard, in the cellar
Our daily work aims at managing vine growth and stimulating soil life through ecologically responsible viticultural practices.
We strive to be reactive in our vineyard management techniques. On the slopes, cover crops are grown between the rows of vines and the soil is hoed beneath them. In some limestone plots, the soil is thoroughly ploughed. The primary and secondary buds are removed and the vines are trellised in several stages. If needed, the leaves are thinned and green harvest is performed.
The grapes are handpicked in all of our plots. Because the team of harvesters stays at the estate, we have more flexibility in being able to harvest each plot at optimal ripeness. The grapes are sorted a first time in the vineyards.
Our Sauvignon Blanc grapes are slowly and gently pressed in their entirety using a pneumatic press so as to preserve as much of the grapes’ fruitiness and flavours as possible. Our Pinot Noir grapes are sorted a second time when they arrive at the winery. They are then transferred to vats for 3 to 4 weeks, with a proportion of whole bunches of grapes that varies according to the plot and the vintage.
