Gerard Boulay Sancerre Clos Beaujeu 2022

After Les Monts-Damnés and La Grande Côte, Le Clos de Beaujeu is Boulay's third blue-blooded site. Boulay's parcel lies within the original Clos of this vineyard, established by the monks of Beaujeu in the Middle Ages. The walls of the Clos are no longer standing as they were originally built from clay and hay, and have not withstood the test of time. On this slope of Kimmeridgian limestone and clay, right beside the village, Boulay farms a small parcel of 30-110 year old vines. The soils here are particularly rocky - limestone rich and strewn with fossils. Along with the 60° gradient, these rocky soils make this parcel very difficult to farm. Le Clos de Beaujeu is the source of some of the Domaine's most structured wines (it's no surprise that Delaporte still farms some Pinot Noir here). This wine was naturally fermented and raised in large, upright cask (60%) and in three and four year old 300-litre barrels (40%) for some 10 months. What grabs you first is the highly charged mineral impact, followed by the hum and buzz of lime pith fruit and chalky texture. With its tangy energy infusing every drop, this is a reminder of why the top wines from this village regularly draw comparison with the finest wines of Burgundy or Germany, but there is also an inky core that is pure Beaujeu.