Sancerre rouge "Belle Dame" 2020

A Pinot Noir of one piece, still youthful and a touch untamed, yet of pure finesse. In the glass, deep garnet red with violet reflections, 14.5% vol., dry.

Domaine Vacheron farms 46 hectares in the Sancerrois, in family hands for four generations and today run by cousins Jean-Dominique and Jean-Laurent Vacheron. The appellation's soils shape each parcel differently: limestone-rich Caillottes bring mineral freshness, Terres blanches of marl and clay-limestone lend depth, complexity and ageing potential, while the flint (silex) parcels provide intense aromatics. The two cousins' formative years took Jean-Dominique to Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Jean-Laurent to Burgundy.

Single-varietal Pinot Noir. The estate's individual vineyard plots are vinified separately so that each terroir retains its own expression. The estate is farmed biodynamically.

On the nose, fine small berries: wild raspberry, mulberry, blackcurrant, elderberry and a touch of sloe, along with elderwood and sage, plus delicate hints of wood smoke, cinnamon and fine bitter chocolate. On the palate, juicy freshness, red and dark fruit, carried by precise acidity. Herbs and an earthy, mineral note define the overall impression.

Beetroot baked in a salt crust with pickled berries, pheasant breast with smoked bacon, braised lentils and blackcurrant vinegar, or beef with savoy cabbage and truffle jus.

The Vacherons are among the pioneers of biodynamic viticulture in the Sancerrois and have helped shape the appellation's reputation as a source of great terroir wines. The "Belle Dame" shows just how much depth a red Sancerre can hold.