"The nose is very fresh, pure and elegant with blackcurrant leaf and gooseberry. This textbook Sancerre has fruit and minerality perfect proportions. Fresh citrus fruit acidity supports stony fruit and stony minerality on the palate. The wines from Francois and Carine Crochet are some of the most precise and refined Sancerre around. With power and elegance and purity this is top example of fine Sancerre."
Just a few kilometres to the west of the town of Sancerre, and just a little to the south, lies the tiny commune of Bué, and it is here that you will find François Crochet and most of his vines. The son of a vigneron, François took over the estate in 1998 and together with his wife Carine works 10.5 hectares of vines, encompassing all three of the principle Sancerre terroirs. François Crochet is an innovative winemaker with experience far beyond Sancerre. Although well travelled, having spent time in New Zealand, his heart is in Bué and here he produces his own distinctive style of this classic wine. Now a victim of his own success, François cannot keep up with demand, making only limited, hand-crafted quantities. These wines are some of the most precise and refined Sancerre around - intensely flavoured with crisp, refreshing acidity and great length.
Yields are controlled by bud reduction in the spring and in some cases a later green harvest, the eventual harvest is entirely manual, and overall this is a very small, 'hands-on' operation, with François personally overseeing and also undertaking much of the work in the vineyard (no mean feat with such a parcellated domaine). Once picked the fruit is transported to the new cellars behind the Crochet's house - new for the 2009 vintage - using vibrating bins to protect the fruit. After a very gentle pressing the juice is left to settle before being racked and fermented. After fermentation of 3 - 4 weeks the wine is matured on its lees for 6 months then a light fining is performed before bottling.
