Sancerre rouge "Tirrepeine" AOC 2022

A lean, juicy Pinot Noir with chalky tannin and a light salinity, dry, 12.5% Vol. Matthias Planchon aims for coolness and clarity, and he achieves exactly that even in the warm 2022 vintage.

The Tirrepeine site sits at 300 metres of altitude, east-facing, on soil with a high flint content. It is the parcel that, in Matthias Planchon's cellar, catches the first sun. His family has farmed vineyards in Sancerre since 1573; he took over the family plots in 2012 and bottled his first own vintage in 2019. 5.5 hectares across ten parcels, each vinified separately, around 22,000 bottles a year, exclusively site-specific bottlings.

Pinot Noir, fully destemmed for 2022. One year of ageing in 228-litre barrels on fine lees, followed by a further year in stainless steel. Bottled according to the lunar cycle, unfiltered.

Slightly transparent cherry red in the glass, with cranberries, redcurrants and barberries, cherries and a dark note of "sous bois" on the nose. Then crisp dark berry fruit with a firm core, a slightly creamy texture and chalky tannin. Plenty of juiciness, a fine salty streak, nothing feels broad.

The vines have been farmed biodynamically since 2018; the label states "Vin Bio et Biodynamique, cultivé sur sols vifs", along with organic certification under AB and EU organic standards. What Matthias Planchon calls "l'eau de roche", rock water, shows here as mineral salinity. The name carries a piece of wine history: Jules Émile Planchon discovered phylloxera in 1868 and saved European viticulture through grafting onto American rootstocks.