Reverdy Sancerre Terre de Maimbray 2024

Pascal and Nicolas Reverdy work from the tiny hamlet of Maimbray, in a valley ringed by the terres blanches Kimmeridgian limestone hills next to Chavignol and Verdigny. The family has been established there for several generations; the domaine in its current form dates from 1985. In recent years Pascal has been joined by his two sons, Victorien and Benjamin, who served apprenticeships at Domaine Rousseau and Romanée-Conti respectively.

Just under eleven hectares are planted to Sauvignon Blanc and three to Pinot Noir, on Kimmeridgian limestone, at 8,000 vines to the hectare. The holdings include Les Coûtes, a single hillside plot of fifty-year-old vines cropped at 45 hectolitres per hectare, and La Grand Rue. The Reverdys are first and foremost viticulturists and say plainly that the quality comes from constant attention in the vineyard rather than anything done in the cellar.

Yields are restricted and everything is hand-harvested with strict sorting, then gently pressed and fermented plot by plot at low temperature, usually in stainless steel though wood is available. The Pinot Noir is de-stemmed and the reds see some barrel ageing. Terre de Maimbray, picked at around 13 degrees Baumé, is the wine to know: concentrated pure Sauvignon with a chalky mineral thread running through it. Farming is sustainable on organic principles, and production is about 7,500 dozen across white, red and rosé.