Skip to main content

Henri Bourgeois - La Cote Des Monts Damnes Sancerre

2022
Blend
100% Sauvignon Blanc
Country
France
Region
Loire Valley
Appellation
Sancerre
UPC
0 15643 41230 1
White Wine
Verified Stock
11771-22
Product Ratings
Vinous Media 93pt

The 2022 La Cotes des Monts Damnes is a ripe, full-bodied style with power and weight. It is pure, fragrant and attractive even in youth, with floral and richly fruity characters - all nectarine and pineapple flavors. Expect a concentrated, intense wine that retains a sense of purpose and a lightly chalky texture. One for the long haul.

by Vinous Media, 2023
Wine Spectator 92pt

A dense, serious Sancerre, with waxy pear and orchard fruit cut with pithy lemony acidity. Mineral depth anchors all the opulence, while a salted brioche note plays out on the long finish. Complex and ageworthy, with green herbs and a lot of energy and cut.

by Wine Spectator, 2024

History

For ten generations now the Bourgeois family has devoted its passion and values to Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, becoming Sancerre’s most well-known producer. The company is now led by the current generation of the family – Jean-Marie and Remi Bourgeois. The winery and family base is the village of Chavignol, and Domaine holdings can be found on a mosaic of plots throughout Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé. Each plot is isolated and worked in respect of its origin to reveal, in the most precise and true way, the expression of its terroir, whether we are talking Kimmeridgian marls, flint, or limestone clay soils. We see this expressed in a dizzying array of bottlings, many of which are amongst the most sought after of their kind in the Loire each year.

Tasting notes

The delicate tropical fruit aromas (a proof of ripe Sauvignon grapes) and clean mineral and fruity palate testify to La Cote des Monts Damnes' pedigree as an exceptional wine from one of the finest slopes in the Sancerre appellation. A nose of tropical fruit and passion fruit with citrus fruits. A very well balanced palate bursting with honey, grapefruit and a fresh citrus finish. A very elegant beauty.

Description

La Côte des Monts Damnés is an extremely steep south and south-west facing slope in the village of Chavignol composed of Kimmeridgian marls (a soil made up of fossilized seashells and clay). This unique terroir is arguably the world’s most sensational piece of land when it comes to the production of Sauvignon Blanc with depth, power, and aging potential. Only 12 wineries own vines on this slope, and Henri Bourgeois owns more of it than anyone and in a prime location straddling the top of the hill.

Food pairing

Because of its bracing acidity, Sancerre is quite versatile. Perhaps the most famous food and wine pairings is Goat Cheese and Sancerre. This pairing works as Goat Cheese is tart and earthy, but quite plain. When you add Sancerre to the mix, it imparts a acidic and mineral driven citrus bite, that brings out herbal flavors in the cheese that you have never noticed before. Also excellent with asparagus, white fish, roasted turkey, pork chops and crab cakes.

Vinification

During the harvest, only the very ripest grapes are hand-picked and carefully brought to the cellar where they are gently pressed to release their aromas. The must is left to settle naturally for a couple of days and fermented, in thermo-regulated stainless steel tanks. The wine is then matured on its fine lees between 9 to 10 months before bottling.