Domaine DELAPORTEChavignol
One of Sancerre’s finest, most historic producers is being driven to new heights of quality by the hard work and innovation of Matthieu Delaporte
Background
Delaporte are based in Chavignol, a village at the heart of Sancerre, and the only village in France to enjoy AOC status for both wine and cheese. Although the domaine has been in family hands since the 17th century and were the first Sancerre producer to export to the USA, Delaporte made their name for producing some of the area’s finest wines due mainly to the hard work of Vincent, Matthieu’s grandfather. Matthieu, just 22 years old, took over from his father, Jean-Yves, in 2010 and has set about driving the wines to new heights. He is an energetic and restless young man, utterly committed to the quality of the domaine. In 2011 he convinced his retiring uncle to sell them his 10ha, and Delaporte now own 33ha in including old vines in both Mont Damnes and the Cul du Beaujeu, the village’s two most famous vineyards. These sites tower above the village, it is hard to appreciate just how steep they are; in parts positively Mosel-esque. Delaporte’s vines cover all the major soil types of Sancerre, from flint, ‘Silex’, to limestone pebbles, ‘Caillottes’, and the famous Kimmeridgian marl.
Current Vintages
| White | Vintage |
|---|---|
| Sancerre Blanc [Read More] Produced from 28 separate plots grown mostly on Caillottes, small chunks of Oxfordian limestone, as well as the classic flint soil, 'Silex'. Fermented and aged in stainless steel, bottled by gravity with no filtration. An archetypal Sancerre. | 2019 |
| Sancerre Blanc Cuvée Silex | 2018 |
| Sancerre Blanc Monts Damnés [Read More] This south facing, steeply sloped hillside of pure Kimmeridgian marl is perhaps Chavignol’s most famous site, giving concentrated chalky wines that blossom with age, losing Sauvignons distinctive primary character and becoming complex, succulent treasures. | 2017 |
| Rosé | Vintage |
|---|---|
| Sancerre Rosé | 2019 |
| Reds | Vintage |
|---|---|
| Sancerre Rouge | 2019 |
| Sancerre Rouge Silex | 2018 |
| Sancerre Rouge, Cul de Beaujeu [Read More] The Cul de Beaujeu rises steeply above the village of Chavignol. Alongside the larger Monts Damnes, 45ha to the Cul’s 15, it is one of Sancerre’s finest sites. The soil is red Kimmeridgian Marl, so dense with Oyster shells you can hardly see the clay. When you find oyster shells atop a hill hundreds of miles away from the sea you know something geologically interesting has taken place. Matthieu believes this rich red clay flecked with limestone and combined with the site’s altitude is ideal for Pinot Noir; the Delaporte vines sit right at the very top of the slope and their bottling of Cul de Beaujeu is the only red wine produced from this site. Aged in barrel and made with no additions of sulphur until a little is added just before bottling, for me this wine represents the quality of what Matthieu has done here. It is wonderfully focussed, pure and fresh, with that combination of power and richness without weight, that so bewitches those of us obsessed by Pinot Noir. | 2017 |
| Magnums | Vintage |
|---|---|
| Sancerre Rosé | 2016 |
| Sancerre Blanc | 2018 |
| Sancerre Blanc Cuvée Silex | 2017 |
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