Domaine Girard Sancerre La Garenne 2022
Domaine Fernand Girard is currently run by Alain Girard. He comes from several generations of winemakers in the tiny village of Chaudoux, located a few miles northwest of the town of and directly north of the famous town of .
He tends 14 of vines in total, sells some to and only a portion of the total production under his family name. The "La Garenne" originally came from a 2.5 vineyard of that name, a on a steep east-facing slope with a very rocky soil. The soil brings out the characteristic , mineral and green notes of . On La Garenne’s , warm slopes, the grapes achieve exceptional ripeness and fruit.
Over the years, as demand increased, it became clear that Alain would need to his sites together to produce more wine. Today, only one wine is produced in much larger quantities than when we started working together in the early 1990's. In a crass move of commercialism, it was agreed to keep the name "La Garenne" since it was a "recognizable brand".
Compared to those in other regions in France, most of have stricter than usual standards of tidiness and hygiene. It might be the influence of the local goat cheese making, which was traditionally done on a very small, scale, by people who knew the importance of a pristine environment.
The Girards have an impeccable and with modern technology: a , , a system during , and an air-conditioned space for in and stocking bottles. They counterbalance technology by practicing old-fashioned vineyard work, where and treatments are used sparingly, and by never adding to induce or add flavors.
Their is everything one hopes for when thinking about the region: it is bright, lively, pleasantly aromatic, has zippy but low astringency. It is a wonderful food wine that is as versatile as it is easy to drink.
