Gérard Boulay : Clos de Beaujeu 2024

Characteristics and Tasting Notes for Clos de Beaujeu 2024 by Gérard Boulay

Tasting Notes

Appearance
The colour reveals a luminous pale yellow hue, marked by beautiful clarity.

Nose
Delightfully complex, the aromatic bouquet opens with notes of juicy white fruit, citrus and exotic fruits. With aeration, subtle touches of white flowers and delicate herbs intertwine with a deep, chalky, smoky minerality.

Palate
The attack reveals a silky texture and lovely roundness, immediately balanced by remarkable mineral tension. The palate unfolds a lively, chalky structure that stretches the wine towards a lingering finish, marked by a persistent salinity and perfectly controlled power.

Food and Wine Pairings

This great white wine pairs beautifully with the cuisine of the Loire Valley, such as matured goat's cheese or river fish in sauce. It also enhances delicate dishes such as smoked fish jelly, sushi, citrus ceviche or poultry with cream and mushrooms.

Serving and Cellaring

For optimal enjoyment, this wine is best served between 10 and 12°C, after a vigorous one-hour decanting while young. Built for ageing, this 2024 vintage can be cellared for a few years and will drink well until around 2046.

The pure, saline expression of a great Sancerre terroir

The Estate

Although the family's winemaking presence dates back to the 14th century, the estate has been sold under its current name since the 1950s, before being officially taken over in 1976 by Gérard Boulay. Located in Chavignol, in the Loire Valley, the estate spans around 14 hectares. Now jointly run by the founder and his son Thibaut, the domaine stands out for its uncertified organic approach and minimal-intervention winemaking. It now ranks among the region's elite, renowned for wines that are pure, crystalline and deeply mineral.

The Vineyard

This wine comes from the renowned Clos de Beaujeu vineyard site, a historic Sancerre terroir that once belonged to the Bourges cathedral. The vines, around fifty years old, are rooted on dizzying slopes with gradients of 60 to 70%, facing east and south-east. The subsoil consists of Kimmeridgian marl, known as "terres blanches", rich in marine fossils. The vineyard is cultivated without herbicides or pesticides, with meticulous soil work carried out using small tracked vehicles to preserve biodiversity and the mineral expression of the site.

Winemaking and Ageing

The grapes are hand-harvested to preserve the integrity of the berries. In the cellar, the approach is deliberately minimalist, letting the terroir speak for itself. Fermentation occurs spontaneously through indigenous yeasts, with no additives whatsoever. For this vintage, both winemaking and ageing take place entirely in stainless steel tanks, limiting the use of sulphur and avoiding heavy filtration, thereby ensuring the purity and transparency of this Sancerre white wine.

Grape Variety

Sauvignon Blanc (100%).