SANCERRE
2023 Chavignol Domaine Delaporte
| Grapes | Sauv Blanc |
| Colour | White |
| Origin | France, Loire |
| Other | Vegetarian, Certified Organic, Vegan |
| Sub-district | Sancerre |
| Village | Chavignol |
| ABV | 13% |
This is a stunning wine from the off, with aromas of crushed chalk, orange blossom and ripe citrus fruits. In the mouth the wine is textured and complex, with rich acid balancing a core of ripe citrus fruit, aromatic herbs and powdered chalk. A truly magnificent Sancerre from the top zone of Chavignol and the celebrated Delaporte family at the helm – who we have been working with for 3 generations now. L&S (May 2024)
DELIVERY SERVICE
We offer free nationwide delivery on all orders over £150 (excluding Highlands & Islands). Express Delivery options also available.The 2023 Chavignol is a pure, tranquil style. It is light-bodied with tender texture. This is restrained and delicate, with lemon, honey and chamomile flavors. The 2023 is gently refreshing and not too acidic. Drinking range: 2025 - 2028 Rating: 89 Rebecca Gibb MW - Vinous.com (Aug 2025)
Domaine Delaporte
Patrick and I first visited Vincent Delaporte in 1986, a memorable end to a long day, we finished by tasting older and older red and white Sancerres. His wines were in Steven Spurrier's selection for the Caves de la Madeleine, where I had worked several years earlier, and the London end of which Patrick was running at the time. They have featured in the Lea & Sandeman selection since our very first list. The domaine passed to Vincent's son Jean-Yves and his wife Nathalie, and now their son Matthieu is in charge, after a 'stage' at L&S in the summer of 2012, and taken over the winemaking role. They have recently incorporated the vines of Matthieu's uncle, giving them three new jewels in the crown, decent holdings in the Monts Damnés and La Côte d'Amigny (also known as 'La Grande Côte'(white) and Cul de Beaujeu (red).
Matthieu has taken the domaine in the direction of organic farming, although he still hesitates over going for certification. He has stopped buying new barrels, and stopped using cultured yeasts, sometimes allowing malolactic fermentation to occur. Levels of sulphur are kept to the barest minimum. (Charles Lea.)
The L&S Halves Collection
12 Different wines at half the size, perfect for those evenings when you want a small something with your meal or to relax before bed.
Wines include:
- A delectable Champagne by M&G Heucq. The fossile is a bright and lively champagne that gives bright apple and fresh pastry notes. Consistently refreshing.
- The 2023 Pouilly Fumé by Herve Seguin. A little trip to the Loire at its eastern end will reveal some of the freshest Sauvignon Blanc found anywhere in the world. This is flinty, gooseberry and grapefruit notes with that classic bell pepper nose. It is a super refined Sauvignon that begs to be sipped slowly to appreciate it's nuances. We have added a Sancerre in there as well so that you can taste the unique difference terroir can make on a grape grown in the same region.
- Moving geographically down through France we come to these two fantastic Burgundy wines by Laurent Pilot. A Chassagne Montrachet and a Pommard. Just the names of the villages are enough to conjure up visions of deliciousness. The Chardonnay is rich, Holden and characterful with layers of fruit, lees, and subtle oak. The Pommard is refreshing with punnets of red fruit in evidence.
- Continuing further south again, we arrive at the Macconais, Beaujolais, and the Rhone Valley, home to our Alliance Macon Chardonnay by Domaine Barraud, the Clos de la Roilette Fleurie, a brilliantly complex and mature Gamay that has stood the test of time, and the Cotes du Rhone by Domaine Mordoree, a sunshine rich wine with brilliant fruit forward cherry and plum notes.
- If we head east through France, we slowly move towards the influence of the Atlantic, an influential factor on wines that make the Malbec from Cahors and the Belle Garde Bordeaux a stand out in this case. If you are curious to do your detective work and taste the difference in wines made with more of an oceanic influence compared to the wines mentioned previously, then these are your benchmarks. They have all of the delicious fruit flavours, but with added depth from slower ripening and cooler night time temperatures. The Malbec is clean and full of mocha and black cherry notes, while the Bordeaux leans more into it's Merlot heritage with a spry nose of red fruits and summer berries.
- Finally we travel back west over the alps and into Piedmont to taste the Dolcetto by Andrea Oberto. A purple graped lighter red with hints of florality. Think violets mixed with blueberries, laced with hints of a delicious savoury earthiness.
Thus completes your tour of this little square corner of North West Europe. An array of choices and tastes lay ahead of you. One thing is for certain, none of these wines will let you down.
- For full delivery details see our Delivery page.
- We offer free nationwide* delivery for all orders over £150 with our own vans. We also offer an express delivery service for an additional charge.
- Order & Collect from any of our 5 London shops. Order by Midnight for collection the next working day from 11am.
- Private wine storage: we offer a full In Bond and Duty Paid private wine storage service - find out more here.
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