Vincent Gaudry took over his family’s modest Sancerre domaine at age 18 in 1993, inheriting 9.5 hectares in Sury-en-Vaux from his father Georges, who had expanded his grandfather’s original plots. A health crisis from chemical exposure spurred Vincent to convert to organic farming by 2002 (first certified in Sancerre) and pioneer biodynamics with Demeter certification in 2004, embracing a “Trust in Nature” philosophy that integrates forest ecosystems and lunar-cycle bottling. Today, his 11-hectare estate spans all three Sancerre terroirs—caillottes (pebbled limestone), terres blanches (clay-limestone marl), and silex (flint)—with massal selections from 90-year-old vines ensuring genetic diversity across west-facing slopes averaging 40 years old.

The 2023 Le Tournebride—named for old négociant blending traditions—draws from ~30-year-old vines across these soils, hand-harvested and vinified with native yeasts in stainless, followed by lees aging for texture and spice. Pale gold with green highlights, it offers white peach, wet stone, thyme, and chalky grip—electric acidity and mineral length evoking historic Sancerre before high-volume Sauvignon took over. 'Entry-level' only in that is not one of his designated single vineyard releases, it’s Gaudry’s accessible flagship blending terroir harmony without single-parcel intensity.

Why You’ll Love It

• Biodynamic Sancerre benchmark blending all three terroirs for complete typicity—caillottes lift, silex smoke, terres blanches depth—in a crisp, ageworthy frame.

• Massal-selected vines (~30yo) from Demeter-certified estate deliver nuance and vitality rare in entry Sauvignon, with Gaudry’s minimalist touch preserving purity.

• Soulful tension over green/catty notes; critics hail its “authentic expression” and 5–8+ year potential at approachable pricing.

How to Serve It

• Chill to 48–52°F in a tall Loire stem; 30–45 minutes in fridge straight from cellar enhances stone fruit and chalk focus without muting minerality.

• No decant needed—serve within 2 hours of opening; extended air time softens for richer thyme/honey notes if cellared 3+ years.

• Oysters, goat cheese crottins, or sole meunière—the wine’s smoky length and phenolic grip crave salinity, cream, and subtle herbs.