Lucien Crochet, Sancerre 'Les Calcaires' 2018

The grapes are handpicked with the entire bunches fed into pneumatic presses via a conveyor belt
Light pneumatic pressing and cold settling for 24  to 36 hours at approximately 6°C. Fermentation then takes place in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats with a small part in oak barrel. The wines are fined, racked and filtered before bottling in September 2018

Domaine Lucien Crochet stems from the fusion of the winegrowing estates of Andre Crochet (Lucien’s father) and Lucien Picard (his father-in-law). The latter was one of the pioneers of bottling in the Sancerre region and one of the first to sell his Sancerre wines in Paris in the early 1950s.

Lucien Crochet expanded the estate over the last thirty years to its current surface area of 38 hectares. His son, Gilles, now runs the estate. 29 hectares are planted with Sauvignon Blanc. It is with these grapes that they produce their range of white wines. The remaining 9 hectares are planted with Pinot Noir which go into the making of the red and rose wines.

Most of Lucien Crochet's vineyards are located within the village of Bue, with some in the neighbouring communes of Sancerre, Crezancy and Vinon. The soil and subsoil are clay-limestone based and date back to the Oxfordian and Kimmeridgian stages.

Most of the vines face south, south-west and south-east, giving the grapes maximum exposure to the summer sun.