Domaine Thomas & Fils Sancerre ‘Grand Chaille’ 2023, Loire, Organic

Grand Chaille is a classic Sancerre from Domaine Thomas & Fils, the family estate in Verdigny run by Julien and Justine Thomas. Made from 100% Sauvignon Blanc from the domaine’s organically farmed vineyards, it takes its name from the ‘chailles’, the flinty stones that give so many Sancerres their distinctive mineral edge. The grapes are hand-harvested, gently pressed and fermented with indigenous yeasts, with a light touch in the cellar to let the vineyard speak.

In the glass it is a pale, bright lemon-gold. The nose is fresh and precise, with lemon zest, grapefruit and green apple alongside a hint of gunflint. The palate is dry, crisp and elegant, with lively acidity, a fine chalky minerality and a long, clean, citrus-led finish.

Serve well chilled, at around 8–10°C. It is a natural partner for goat’s cheese, especially the local Crottin de Chavignol, as well as oysters, mussels, grilled fish, seafood pasta and salads. Enjoy it young for its freshness, or keep it for two to three years to let it gain a little more depth.

Domaine Thomas & Fils is a family estate in Verdigny, one of the classic villages of Sancerre, where the Thomas family has grown vines and made wine since 1670. Today the domaine is run by the thirteenth generation, Julien Thomas, alongside his wife Justine and his parents, Jean and Ginette. The family farms around 16 hectares of Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir across Sancerre’s three great soil types: flinty silex, Kimmeridgian limestone and the stony caillottes. Julien converted the vineyards to organic farming from 2012 and later to biodynamics, ploughing the soils, working by hand and harvesting by hand from vines averaging 40 to 50 years old. In the cellar the approach is minimal, with whole-bunch pressing and indigenous yeasts.