Some additional Information from the Lucien Crochet winery...
LUCIEN CROCHET
VINS DE SANCERRE
SANCERRE ROUGE 2005
"la Croix du Roy"
Terroir: a blend of two terroirs: Oxfordian “caillottes” and Kimmeridgian “terres blanches” (white earth); same as Chablis.
Exposure: east and south-east.
Vineyard management: some of the vineyards have grass growing between the vines while others are hoed.
The vines: Pinot Noir. Average density is 7,000 vines per hectare.
Single Guyot pruning. Disbudding and desuckering to improve air circulation.
Vinification: the grapes were hand-picked and sorted a first time in the vineyard before being brought to the winery in 40 kg crates. They were then table-sorted before being completely destemmed. A belt was used to transfer the grapes into the tanks. Daily punching of the cap and pumping over of the must. Fermentation lasted 28 days. A belt was used for devatting. The grapes were gently pressed using a pneumatic press. Ageing: 50% in barrels and 50% in stainless steel tanks.
Bottled in February 2007, after 16 months ageing.
Tasting notes:
Visual : rubis
Nose :
Palate :
Ageing potential: 4 to 6 years
Plantation:
Domaine Lucien Crochet stems from the fusion of the winegrowing estates of André Crochet (Lucien’s father) and Lucien Picard (his father-in-law). The latter was one of the pioneers of bottling in the Sancerre region and one of the first to sell his Sancerre wines in Paris in the early 1950s.
Lucien Crochet expanded the estate over the last thirty years to its current surface area of 38 hectares. His son, Gilles, now runs the estate. 29 hectares are planted with Sauvignon Blanc. It is with these grapes that we produce our range of white wines. The remaining 9 hectares are planted with Pinot Noir which go into the making of our red and rosé wines.
Most of their vineyards are located within the village of Bué, with some in the neighbouring communes of Sancerre, Crézancy and Vinon.
The soil and subsoil are clay-limestone based and date back to the Oxfordian and Kimmeridgian stages. Most of their vines face south, south-west and south-east, giving the grapes maximum exposure to the summer sun.
The Vineyards:
Planting density varies between 6,600 vines/ha for their oldest vines to 8,700 vines/ha for the more recent plantations.
Their principal objective is to produce beautiful grapes, so it is essential to make the right choices when it comes to vineyard management.
60% of the estate’s vineyards have grass growing between the rows with the soil being worked (hoed and ploughed) just at the base of the vines, while 25% of the vineyards are fully ploughed and hoed.
Most of the products they use are organic and the quantities they use are determined after an analysis of the leaves and soil.
Their vines are pruned according to the single Guyot method; They strive to keep approximately 10 bunches of grapes per vine. Some of their older vines are pruned according to the Cordon de Royat method.
They work closely with a technician who gives them advice about how to best handle disease and pest control.
Winemaking:
The grapes are harvested by hand, allowing them to sort them a first time in the vineyard.
The Sauvignon Blanc grapes are table-sorted if necessary when they arrive at the winery in trailers. The grapes are transferred to the presses by means of a belt. Pressing ensures high-quality juice without damaging the grapes. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks under controlled temperatures of 14 to 18°C depending on the cuvée. The wine is racked late – between April and August depending on the cuvée – and they begin to bottle the wines between July and September.
The Pinot Noir grapes are brought to the winery in 40 kg crates, and are table-sorted before being destemmed. The grapes are transferred to the presses by means of a belt to avoid damaging them.
Following cold maceration, fermentation takes place under controlled temperatures. The juice is run off after a few days of maceration. Gradual pressing allows them to obtain pure press juice. The wines are then aged in barrels - 228 or 600-litre barrels - and in tanks; the proportion varies depending on the vintage and the cuvée.
The wines are bottled between February and April after ageing for 14 to 16 months.
Their rosés are made from Pinot Noir grapes and are vinified as for white wine. They are bottled in May.