GERARD BOULAY SANCERRE LA COTE 2022

Style : Rocks & Minerals

Gerard Boulay is a very humble, quiet man in his early 60s who four years ago moved his cellar out of the village of Chavignol in order to have more space to handle the crop from his 12 hectares of vines. With four workers assisting him in the vineyards, he has done an excellent job over the past couple of years to delineate the style of each of his sites. All are harvested by hand and fermented with wild yeasts in 300-liter oak barrels, but you never taste the wood as you often do in the wines of his colleagues. Given the crystalline purity of his sauvignon blancs, he has become one of my favorite producers of the central Loire. If you want to know what true Sancerre tastes like, try one of his single-vineyard bottlings. It does not come any better! Further, even the entry-level wine that he calls Tradition, which represents half of his total production, offers excellent value for money. JOEL B PAYNE, vinousmedia

La Côte has quickly become one of the heavyweights of Boulay¿s range. This is the domaine¿s coolest terroir and the last to be picked. The site¿s pure Kimmeridgian limestone soils and the late picking date deliver density and absurd precision on the palate. Vinified and aged in three- and four-year-old barrels, the terroir gives a more expressive style than Monts-Damnés, yet one that still bristles with tension and mineral notes. If the vines are still relatively young by this domaine¿s standards, they nevertheless express the mineral essence of this limestone terroir with incredible intensity. As always, La Côte is the most open of the single-vineyard wines, this year leading with ripe citrus in the orange/bergamot spectrum¿and crystalline passionfruit aromas. The palate is deep, complex, radiant and focused, with a great core of spicy fruit, driving acids and lovely purity, tapering to a super long, chalk-licked finish. It has everything to go toe-to-toe with a top Premier Cru Burgundy. BIBENDUM Importer

Region : Loire Valley, FRANCE

Variety : Sauvignon Blanc

ABV: 13.5%

Liquor Act 2007. It is against the law to sell or supply alcohol to, or to obtain alcohol on behalf of a person under the age of 18 years. Lic No. LIQP770016424

*We endeavour to ensure the correct vintage is displayed, however some variations may occur in store and for delivered bottles.