Vigneronne Julie Noël is making some of the most structured, soulful wines in Sancerre. In contrast to many estates in an appellation not presently known for complexity, the Noël family maintains an incredibly passionate following in France from their reputation for making wines of intensity and grace. They are also known for their faith in indigenous yeasts for fermentation and clear communication of terroir. With 80% of their vineyards in the village of Chavignol and the remaining 20% in the village of Sancerre, they are making classic, terroir-focused wines and have risen to be among the very top family domains in Sancerre.

Cuvée Excellence Sancerre is made from a single 1ha estate lieu-dit “Les Bouffants”, planted with 60+ year-old sauvignon blanc vines located on a steep hillside just behind the village of Chavignol, one of the best terroirs of Sancerre. Densely-planted vines are guyot-pruned and a very steep, uneven terrain means all work in the vineyard is done by hand, with average yields of 30hl/ha. Low yields and careful farming give this wine incredible structure and fitness that place it alongside the other great single-vineyard wines of the region and will improve in bottle for at least four to five years. Cuvée Excellence is very limited with an annual production of approximately 3000 bottles.

Vinification – Grapes are hand-picked in small crates and pressed very gently, and then the must is put into stainless steel tanks and allowed to settle. Spontaneous fermentation occurs with indigenous yeasts at low temperatures and lasts for three to four weeks. The wine then rests in stainless steel tank for nine months on the fine lees, without bâtonnage and only one racking two months after fermentation. The wine is gently fined with bentonite before bottling the following summer.

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