Located in heart of the Sancerre region is Domaine Vincent Delaporte and Sons, a family business which has been passed from father to son since the 17th century. The winery is located in the charming village of Chavignol, recognized as, perhaps, the prettiest village in the region and for its famous goat cheese. Today the domaine is run by Jean-Yves Delaporte (Vincent’s son) and his wife and son, Nathalie and Matthieu. Matthieu has recently taken over the viticulture and winemaking.
The Delaporte property is comprised of 34 different parcels of vineyard totalling 24 hectares. About 75 percent is dedicated to Sauvignon Blanc and the remainder to Pinot Noir. The vast majority of their holdings have southern exposure ensuring ripe, mature fruit each vintage. Included in these parcels, are plots on the famous Monts Damnés hillside and in the walled clos - Cul de Beaujeu. The Delaporte’s are the only family to produce a pinot noir from the latter site. Across their different sites, the Delaporte’s experience the full range of Sancerre soils types from Silex (flint) to the limestone derived “caillottes” and “terres blanches”. The vines are cultivated following the “culture traditionnelle” philosophy, which combines ancestral and organic agricultural methods. The key principle is respect for the soil and the environment.
The family likes to describe winemaking and their role in it like “a great piece of music, it requires three components: the composer, which is the terroir; the instrument adapted to its composer, which is the grape variety, and the artist, which has to marry the two together”. We think this is a lovely metaphor to describe the Delaporte wines.
The wine world is filled with thoughtful, engaging and welcoming families. The Delaportes’ certainly fit this description and are a must visit if you are ever in the region. Rarely have we seen a group of people laugh so much. The charm, passion and love so evident in this family’s interactions with each other are all mirrored in their beautiful and lively wines.