Tasting Notes
Les Monts-Damnés (pronounced mon-dannay) is perhaps the best-known vineyard in Chavignol. Drinking some great juice from this site leaves you in little doubt that Chavignol is home to, as a general rule, the most textural yet mineral, uplifting and sublime Sancerre. Boulay’s bottling comes from 45 year old vines in one of the steepest inclines of this majestic vineyard, a 40° south facing plot on terres blanches soil (white, chalky clay and limestone), directly adjacent to Edmond Vatan’s Clos la Néore vineyard. It's a parcel of vines that gives not only a complex set of aromas and flavours (as you can read below), but also radiates boundless energy and seductive texture. Monts Damnés is vinified in 3-4 year old Tronçais oak casks, before finishing its ageing in large cask prior to bottling. Picked a week later than Dagueneau’s vines in the same vineyard. It is deep and layered, with aromas of white flowers, citrus and wet rock wafting from the glass and leading to an intense palate bursting with lacy texture. Leaves the palate perfumed for minutes after swallowing. Don’t miss this. - Importer Note
The Boulay family has been rooted in Chavignol since the 14th century, and today Gérard Boulay is recognised as one of the Loire Valley’s benchmark producers. His organically tended vineyards lie on the steep, Kimmeridgian limestone slopes surrounding Chavignol – the same fossil-rich soils that run through Chablis – and it is this terroir that gives his wines their crystalline purity and long-lived character.
Boulay works across some of Chavignol’s most celebrated lieux-dits: La Côte (a south-facing slope producing rich, structured Sancerre of great depth), Clos de Beaujeu (an historic site with thin soils and steep terraces giving nervy, mineral wines), and Monts Damnés (the “damned mountain”, one of Sancerre’s greatest vineyards, delivering power, intensity and remarkable ageing capacity). From these sites he produces distinct bottlings, alongside the Tradition cuvée – a blend of several parcels around the village that showcases the elegance and finesse of Chavignol as a whole.
In the cellar, Boulay works with minimal intervention: natural fermentations, élevage in stainless steel and neutral oak, and no unnecessary additions. The result is wines that are pure, terroir-driven and highly expressive – vibrant and saline in their youth, yet capable of evolving for decades. His Sancerres stand as true reference points for the appellation, bridging immediate pleasure with profound age-worthiness.
| Product Type | Wine White Sauvignon Blanc |
| Volume | 750ml |
| Country | France |
| Region | Loire Valley |
| Sub Region | Sancerre |
| Winemaking Practices | Minimal Intervention |
| Vineyard Practices | Organic/Biodynamic |