vacheron chambrates 2019

the vacheron family settled in the sancerre region at the beginning of the 20th century and practised mixed farming on the estate's forty hectares of land. when denis vacheron and his brother started working on the family estate in 1966, the vacheron estate had 3 hectares of vines and was already exporting some of its production to england and hong kong. the two winegrowers chose to develop the cultivation of grapes. they planted many vines and acquired additional plots of land over the decades. the vacheron estate thus counts nearly 50 hectares of vines in the 2010s. jean-dominique and jean-laurent vacheron, representatives of the next generation, came to assist denis vacheron in the 1990s. in 2006, the entire vacheron estate was converted to biodynamic farming. jean-dominique vacheron and his cousin jean-laurent have brought about a real cultural revolution in this family estate. certified biodynamic since 2006, it now produces no less than six parcel-based white wines. delicate and elegant, with ripe, bright fruit aromas and earthy as well as orange notes on the intense but refined nose, the 2019 sancerre chambrates is a tight, intense and tensioned wine whose vitality, finesse and elegance combined with a dense fruit core and sustainable mineral grip reminds me of dry limestone riesling crus from alsace, pfalz or the hilly lands of the wonnegau in rheinhessen, germany. this is a beautiful vin de terroir. highly stimulating and with lingering salinity, this is a sancerre ready to be served now and over this decade. the grapes were picked between september 12th and october 4th. tasted in february 2021.