Winemaker Notes
#80 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2024
The name of this cuvée "ES-56" stands for Eocene Flint 56 million years ago. The "ES-56" white Sancerre offers incomparable balance and concentration. Its nose, with notes of gun flint and spices, is also reminiscent of Sauvignon flower and its sap. A proud, intense cuvée that will reveal all its elegance and finesse over the years.
ES-56 white Sancerre offers elegance and freshness that will match perfectly with white meats and poultry.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A solid, precise and lively Sancerre with so much mineral character. Aromas of leaves, flint, gunpowder, mild spices and dried lemons dominate on the nose. It’s medium-bodied yet so intense, full of verve and drive. There is a bright acidity driving the vertical dimension in the long, focused, stony finish.
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Wine Enthusiast
This Sancerre wants your attention. Rich orchard fruit wraps itself with quince, apple and bakingspice-dusted roasted pear. Steely in texture with elegant, subtle flavors, the wine has a bright acidity that refreshes the finish.
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Wine Spectator
A distinctive Sancerre, with fleshy persimmon, yellow plum and verbena notes. Offers plenty of richness buoyed by a salty mineral layer, while dried herb details and tangy acidity wash through. A waft of smoke hangs over the long finish, marked by a bitter kick of pink grapefruit pity.
The Famille Bourgeois has been in love with Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc for 11th generation. The domain covers 72 hectares on the best Terroir of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé appellations. Brought to fruition by Henri Bourgeois over 50 years ago, the vineyards lie on some of the most rugged hillside terrains, offering the best exposures in the Loire Valley. From cultivating two hectares on the slopes of Chavignol, Henri took the audacious step in the 1950s of developing his vineyards in an as yet unknown area. His sons, Jean-Marie and Rémi, joined him in the 1960s and continued the adventure. They discovered new terroirs, bought land, developed partnerships with other Sancerre families, and turned themselves into the #1 ambassador of Sancerre in France, then abroad.
Today, Arnaud, Lionel, and Jean-Christophe Bourgeois are just as much the heirs of those men as the initiators of the future of the vines and wines of the house. Though the family is forever striving to perfect their craft, they remain committed to Henri’s original viticultural vision of showcasing the purity of the Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir grapes and the unique Terroirs of Sancerre.
Famille Bourgeois has received numerous accolades over the years from press and public alike for all of their wines, ranging from their delightfully fresh & food-friendly "baby Sancerre" Petit Bourgeois wines to their age-worthy, terroir-driven Sancerre & Pouilly-Fumé cuvées.
Capable of a vast array of styles, Sauvignon Blanc is a crisp, refreshing variety that equally reflects both terroir and varietal character. Though it can vary depending on where it is grown, a couple of commonalities always exist—namely, zesty acidity and intense aromatics. This variety is of French provenance. Somm Secret—Along with Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc is a proud parent of Cabernet Sauvignon. That green bell pepper aroma that all three varieties share is no coincidence—it comes from a high concentration of pyrazines (herbaceous aromatic compounds) inherent to each member of the family.
Marked by its charming hilltop village in the easternmost territory of the Loire, Sancerre is famous for its racy, vivacious, citrus-dominant Sauvignon blanc. Its enormous popularity in 1970s French bistros led to its success as the go-to restaurant white around the globe in the 1980s.
While the region claims a continental climate, noted for short, hot summers and long, cold winters, variations in topography—rolling hills and steep slopes from about 600 to 1,300 feet in elevation—with great soil variations, contribute the variations in character in Sancerre Sauvignon blancs.
In the western part of the appellation, clay and limestone soils with Kimmeridgean marne, especially in Chavignol, produce powerful wines. Moving closer to the actual town of Sancerre, soils are gravel and limestone, producing especially delicate wines. Flint (silex) soils close to the village produce particularly perfumed and age-worthy wines.
About ten percent of the wines claiming the Sancerre appellation name are fresh and light red wines made from Pinot noir and to a lesser extent, rosés. While not typically exported in large amounts, they are well-made and attract a loyal French following.