Just inside the crumbling city walls (remparts) of Sancerre lies an enclosed vineyard that famed Domaine Vacheron has chosen for its latest experiment. From an almost laughably small percentage of an acre, owners and cousins Jean-Laurent and Jean-Dominique Vacheron are crafting barrel-aged Sauvignon Blanc à la ‘franc de pied,’ or ungrafted vines—so why is that significant?
Considering that most vineyards in France, and Europe for that matter, are now grafted onto American rootstocks, finding an ‘own-rooted’ vine is a rarity in and of itself. And, in the hands of Sancerre’s greatest winemakers, a legendary wine has been crafted from them. 2013 was the second release of “L'Enclos des Remparts,” but this was my first encounter. Only a couple barrels are produced each year so I took a deep breath when a bottle landed on my table. The verdict? An electric wine. Deep, complex, immense; this is built for greatness. It is tightly-coiled right out of the bottle, but after allowing it air, sheer beauty unfolds. After the wine opens up, there is a sense of Grand Cru Chablis on the nose with, but it is unmistakably Sancerre on the palate. Full of creamy stone and citrus fruits that are brightened by a powerful lift of acidity, it churns ahead with nonpareil depth and intensity. For lovers of Vacheron, and anyone who is attracted to the idea of experimental wine, this is a must-have and you’d be hard-pressed to find it elsewhere. It is and always will be a super-rare bottling, and with the ever present threat of phylloxera, the vines for L'Enclos des Remparts could disappear in an instant. I was only allowed a few cases, so only two per person today—sorry!
The medieval village of Sancerre rests on the eastern edge of the eponymous appellation, atop a hillside that overlooks a sea of vineyards. This idyllic setting is where the Vacherons have crafted world-class Sancerre for three generations. In charge of this incredible legacy are cousins Jean-Laurent and Jean-Dominique Vacheron, who took the reins of the world-famous Domaine from their fathers. After extensive study around the world, they returned to their hometown and the family winery with a passion for the purest vineyard practices possible. While their fathers had always practiced natural winemaking techniques, it was the cousins who pushed for organic and biodynamic certification in the early 2000s (they were one of the first in the region to apply for biodynamic). They plow the soils, fertilize with natural compost, plant cover crops between the rows of vines, and hand harvest extremely small yields, resulting in even more pronounced terroir energy in their wines.
The vines for “L'Enclos des Remparts” are somewhat young—planted only 10 years ago—and this youthfulness is present in the wine itself. The few grapes that were harvested were done so by hand and fermentation was all natural, i.e. indigenous yeasts. The wine aged in five-year-old French barriques for one year and was bottled unfiltered. For those who like getting geeky, this isn’t technically a “Sancerre” but rather a ‘Vin de France’ due to the unique location inside the village (which is not classified as Sancerre AOC). It also isn’t an officially vintage-dated wine, although the fruit did come from 2013, indicated by the roman numerals on the front label.
In the glass, “L'Enclos des Remparts shines a pale straw-yellow core with silver reflections darting throughout. The nose is ferociously intense and full of energy—showing white peach pit, anjou pear, gooseberries, grapefruit oil, lemongrass, lime zest, diced chive, oyster shell, and a hint of delicate spice. I must reiterate: This wine is a live wire! It’s rich, yet full of weightless intensity and lively precision. It will initially shock you—like plunging into frigid waters—but give it time to open up and it will sit back on its haunches and invite you in for an unforgettable drinking experience. The acid is high and lively; you can feel the energy zipping around your palate (the wine did not undergo malolactic fermentation) and the finish lingers, exceptionally so. This young gun has so much life ahead of it. It will be in a perfect spot in 2020 and will last a decade beyond that if cellared properly. If drinking now, please adhere to these two suggestions: show it a minimum one hour decant and drink around cellar temperature (55 degrees). There is too much life on this wine to consume at a cold temperature. This is a rare experimental treasure that will (hopefully) see successive vintages. Start any dinner party with this wine paired with roasted turnips and goat cheese. It will be a truly memorable experience.
