Cousins Jean-Dominique and Jean-Laurent Vacheron’s biodynamic domaine has become a reference point in Sancerre. Few estates have worked harder to elevate Sancerre’s standing. The Loire was previously industrially farmed and machine-harvested, and the soils needed all the help the Vacheron family could muster. After earning biodynamic certification in 2005, they began bolstering the quality of their soils with handmade composts.

The Vacherons’ soils are full of silex, aka. flint — that glassy, tough impurity that’s often nestled in limestone. Our ancestors crafted some of their first tools from these; humanity owes a great deal to silex!

Thanks to these flinty soils, the Vacheron wines always show a subtle, hugely appealing smoky character married to the fresh citrus flavors that are customary in classic Sancerre.

There are a couple other secrets to Vacheron’s success. Aside from beginning to manually harvest their fruit, their other quality initiative is a brutal one: shockingly low yields. Severe sorting is critical for wines of distinction, and one can imagine how hard it is to sacrifice a meaningful pile of fruit after fighting all year for it!