Domaine de la Garenne
Domaine de la Garenne in Sancerre, with white wines that pair a single vineyard cuvée with a multi terroir blend.
At A Glance
- Field
- Detail
- Region
- Loire Valley, France
- Appellation
- Sancerre
- Style
- White wine
- Signature wine
- Les Bouffants
- Defining feature
- Single vineyard and multi terroir cuvées
- Family history
- Wine warehouses built by Dominique and Bernard-Noël Reverdy in the 1970s
The Producer
Domaine de la Garenne works in Sancerre with white wines that divide into two cuvée formats. Les Bouffants is a single vineyard bottling, while Alliance Blanc is a multi terroir blend. Both wines use temperature controlled stainless steel vats and ageing on fine lees. Fine lees are the small sediment left after fermentation; time on them can add a fuller texture while the stainless steel vessel leaves no oak flavour.
Place
The Loire Valley appellation of Sancerre gives both bottles their geographic name. Domaine de la Garenne's range then narrows or widens the address within that appellation: Les Bouffants comes from one vineyard, while Alliance Blanc combines Caillottes calcaires, Terres Blanches argilo calcaires and Silex. A single vineyard wine keeps one named place together; a multi terroir blend places several soil categories in one bottle.
Wines
Les Bouffants is the single vineyard cuvée. Alliance Blanc is the broader blend, with 72% Caillottes calcaires, 20% Terres Blanches argilo calcaires and 8% Silex. Both are white Sancerres. The range sets a named vineyard wine beside a blend assembled from three terroir categories.
In The Glass
Les Bouffants has beautiful citrus scents and sharp minerality. Its nose is chalky and focused, with grapefruit, then the palate shows clear mineral notes, good persistence and an extended finish. Alliance Blanc has citrus and white fleshed fruit, followed by mineral and floral aromas.
A Bottle To Understand It
Choose Les Bouffants. It is the range's single vineyard Sancerre, with one named place on the label. Alliance Blanc joins three soil categories in a single blend. Les Bouffants keeps the first choice to one vineyard and one cuvée before moving to the wider composition of Alliance Blanc.
Final Word
White Sancerre is the common thread, but the labels divide the range cleanly: Les Bouffants names one vineyard and Alliance Blanc names three terroir categories.
Sources
https://www.direct-wine-imports.com/garenne https://www.sancerrelagarenne.com/en/nos-vins/les-bouffants https://www.sancerrelagarenne.com/en/nos-vins/alliance-blanc https://ansoniawines.com/product/garenne-sancerre-bouffants-2022/