After many years of fighting New York sommeliers to obtain the brilliant Sancerre wines from Vincent Gaudry, today we finally received an ample allocation that should keep our thirsts quenched (at least through mid-May). If you already love Sancerre, prepare to try two of the most benchmark wines that leave the region each year. If you've abandoned Sancerre for less trodden pastures because of its gleeful ubiquity in cafes and bistros throughout the world, here is a superb reason to return. These are extremely limited, artisanal Sancere from Vincent Gaudry, who was the very first Demeter-certified biodynamic convert in the region in 2004. It's no wonder that Pascaline Lepeltier, one of the most well respected knowledge leaders for Loire Valley wines, has been touting the wines for nearly two decades as one of the region's best.
The respect and esteem of this estate does not end there. Let me share some background. For those unfamiliar with the legendary Edmond Vatan of Clos La Néore in Chavignol, who passed away in 2022 at the ripe age of 92 years, this estate is the most "confidential" and expensive of all of Sancerre's properties. Didier Dageneau even listed him as a mentor. Edmond's daughter Anne Vatan has enlisted Vincent Gaudry to farm the family's plots, making Gaudry the hidden auteur behind the estate's vineyards since 2018.
Andrew Tamers, the owner of farmhouse Spanish and French importer De Maison Selections, wrote pure poetry about Gaudry. "A journey through the Sancerre terroir with a virtuoso like Vincent is akin to stepping through an unmarked door into a hidden universe filled with colors, flavors, and textures one did not previously know existed. We refer to Vincent Gaudry as the “last Jedi of Sancerre,” due to his mastery of the complexities of the Sancerre terroir and his humble transparency and insight when speaking about his deeply held beliefs regarding the power of the earth and energy exchange between himself, his vineyards, and wines."
In terms of winemaking, Vincent remains a traditionalist as he looks for a balance between varietal and terroir. At harvest, whole clusters are hand harvested in small baskets. The domain’s impeccable farming is preserved through a slow, intentional process and an élevage that favors patience and transparency. Most fermentations are done in temperature-controlled stainless steel and a few in barrels, all with native yeasts and minimal sulfur. The wines are then aged on lees without bâtonnage and are bottled unfined and unfiltered, according to the lunar calendar. Cork finishes are sourced from an artisanal producer in Sardinia who seasons the corks for fourteen years, as opposed to the seven years that is average for Portugal. The result is precisely-delineated wines with stony minerality, concentration, texture, weight, complexity, and a lengthy, vibrant finish. Hands down, Vincent Gaudry ranks among the top five estates in Sancerre today. - BRANDON KERNE, MASTER SOMMELIER
Per Importer De Maison: "Appropriately named after Vincent’s astrological sign, ‘Constellation du Scorpion’ is a limited, top cuvée made from the lieu-dit ‘Les Bouloises’ in Saint-Satur, a perfect south-west exposed slope just under the woods, planted in dense, heavy, ferrous Silex soils. Near the top of that slope are boulders of red silex, with fist-sized rocks in the center of the vineyard and smaller pieces at the bottom of the slope. It is truly one of the most rocky and incredible parcels in Sancerre—very difficult to work amongst the boulders. The parcel is an average of 30 years old, planted from a massale selection of old sauvignon blanc clones from Vincent’s Melodie Vieilles Vignes vineyard. This wine is an outstanding Sancerre, showing notes of flinty smoke, white flowers, with mint and basil along with bright citrus fruits. On the palate, the salty minerality takes center stage, with outstanding acidity, structure, and body. The silex seems to bring more tension here, deeply textured with bright, flinty undertones. The extremely low yields of this vineyard are on display in Constellation du Scorpion’s exceptionally long finish. It is a superb food wine that will improve in bottle for several years. Constellation du Scorpion is made in very limited quantities."
