Sancerre Terroirs Domaine Sylvain Bailly

A family-owned farm in the village of Bué, an eastern Loire appellation of Sancerre. Founded in the 1700’s, Jacques Bailly and his wife Marie-Hélène are head of production, looking after an assortment of coveted vineyards including 'Choix Marchand', 'The Merchant's Choice’.

The Sancerre plantings are dotted over the communes of Montigny, Bué, Sancerre and Crézancy. These Vineyards sit on a geological base of Jurassic formation. White Sancerre makes up 80% of production, planted of calcareous soil as this encourages more finesse, freshness and primary fruit flavour. Pinot Noir, for their red and rosé is planted on Marly and clayey soil, similar to those in Burgundy. By 1995, the Quincy appellation was included under this Domaine, where the original vines were planted by the Benedictines of the Order of Cîteaux in the 11th century. Quincy, on the left bank of the Cher is nestled between Vierzon and Bourges. The soil here allows for maximum Sauvignon expression. An extensive plateau of limestone, shells and clay deposited from the nearby Cher from the Massif give this terroir its unique qualities. Pneumatic pressing to gently extract juice and temperature-controlled fermentation in stainless steel is used to retain primary fruit character.

In recent years sustainability has been at the heart of their practices with 70% of all their vines grassed to prevent erosion, as well as carrying out ‘Deep Tillage’ to allow water to penetrate deeper into the soil.