Gerrad Boulay, Sancerre 'Monts Damnes', 2024

The steep, south-facing, Kimmeridgian limestone slopes that tower over the tiny hamlet of Chavignol are one of the world's more remarkable terroirs. They offer us a perfect symbiosis, matching soil, aspect, climate and grape variety. Even the local foods have evolved to match the wines produced. For example, the goat cheese Crottin de Chavignol, is simply one of the greatest matches for Sancerre (and Chavignol in particular). In Chavignol, the best wines have nothing to do with varietal character; the grape simply plays conduit to the mineral freshness of the limestone-rich soils and the sun trapping, south-facing expositions. This terroir creates (in the right hands) whites with that rare combination of hedonistic texture and racy, crunchy minerality. Importantly, Chavignol tempers sauvignon's herbaceous tendencies and produces great smoky, stone fruit noted whites of fabulous clarity, texture and energy. Gérard Boulay is one of the greats of this tiny village and produces some of the most distinctive and sublime wines in Sancerre. The man himself is as focused and intense as the wines he crafts but is also a true countryman and incredibly humble. His respect for Chavignol and its proud history is evident by his refusal to betray the terroir with lazy viticulture or winemaking. Under Gérard's charge, the quality of the land and its resultant produce need nothing in the way of corrections.