Who makes it
At the winery in Bué, Joël and Sylvie Cirotte work with their son Fabien, who represents the fourth generation. Domaine La Croix St-Laurent makes Sancerre in white and rosé, with Sauvignon Blanc forming the majority of the plantings and Pinot Noir a substantial component.
Families named Migeon and Crochet held the property from the sixteenth century. The Cirotte family has maintained it since 1932. The domaine's work combines hand harvesting, careful temperature control and separate treatment of Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir.
Where it grows
Bué is one of Sancerre's principal southern villages, and the domaine's winery is located there. The current wines carry the Sancerre appellation in two forms, white and rosé. Sauvignon Blanc supplies the white wine, while Pinot Noir supplies the rosé.
The domaine's soils are approximately 90% calcareous marl and 10% flint. The flint is planted only to Pinot Noir for rosé.
How it is made
The cellar
All grapes are harvested by hand. White grapes are pressed as whole bunches, then statically settled for 24 hours before being moved to fermentation tanks. White fermentation takes place in temperature controlled stainless steel.
After fermentation, Fabien holds the white wine at 7°C to prevent malolactic fermentation. This conversion changes malic acid into lactic acid and can soften acidity. The wine remains on lees before sulfites are added. Cooling equipment allows more closely managed sulfite additions, including avoiding an addition at bottling.
What they make
The current range includes Sancerre Domaine La Croix St-Laurent in white from 2023 and rosé from 2025. The standard white Sancerre is made from Sauvignon Blanc, while the rosé is made from Pinot Noir.
The 2022 white was an assemblage of plots divided equally between terres blanches and red clay. The 2022 rosé came equally from silex, the French term for flint, and calcaire, the term for limestone. The bottles therefore separate white Sauvignon Blanc from Pinot Noir rosé while allowing different soils to appear within the wines.