Thomas-Labaille Les Monts Damnés Chavignol Sancerre 2023

The estate of Claude Thomas is now run by his son-in-law, Jean-Paul Labaille, in the heart of Chavignol, in the Loire valley. The vines grow on a similar type of Kimmeridgian marl soil that also shows up in Premier Cru Chablis. Thomas-Labaille has vines averaging thirty years old, with some much older vines growing where the steep slopes of Les Monts Damnées. They are sustainably farmed and harvested by hand. The wine is fermented with native yeasts in fiberglass and cement tanks, aged on its lees in stainless steel tanks (with a small proportion of used barrel in some vintages) for four to six months and bottled without filtration. 

The wines are refreshing, crisp, very dry and mineral-driven, and can age into something even deeper and more expressive.