La Perrière Mégalithe Sancerre

The caves at Domaine de La Perrière were naturally carved 200 million years ago and are the ideal location to age the wines from the 106 acres of the estate’s Sancerre vineyards, located in the districts of Bannay, Verdigny, Saint-Satur, Crézancy, and Vinon. These terroirs are where Sauvignon Blanc can best express the symphony of its mineral and grassy aromas in harmony with the flinty soils. Stretching from one side of the country to the other, the river of kings has been the homeland of the Saget family for nine generations. Their wines embrace a unique showcase range of Loire appellations; from its original home in Pouilly sur Loire to Sancerre, Chinon, Vouvray, Anjou, and Muscadet forming an unprecedented collection across the Loire Valley. All Saget La Perriere vineyards are certified HVE3 which encourages vineyards to focus on increasing biodiversity, decreasing the negative environmental impact of their phytosanitary strategy, managing their fertilizer inputs, and improving water management. Megalithe is the icon wine of Saget La Perrière with the first vintage produced in 1998.

Mégalithe comes from a single plot called Les Royeux; vineyards are composed of Silex soil. It is a unique single plot of 10ha, of which only a selection is used for Mégalithe. This 2019 vintage has a sunny character and good length, underpinned by a certain freshness and structure.

The grapes are hand-harvested. After a gentle pressing, 40% of the must is fermented in new 300 liter oak barrels from Allier. The wine stays in barrel for eight to nine months and the lees are stirred regularly to give the wine weight and complexity. To preserve the character of Sauvignon, the other 60% of the must is vinified and matured with particular care in steel vats.

This wine displays a light yellow hue with lovely grey tints. The nose expresses the wine’s terroir of origin in a lovely minerality conveyed by gunflint and flint stone aromas, followed by sweet floral and slightly honeyed notes of acacia and hawthorn, revealing a lovely aromatic complexity and followed by an exotic fruit finish (mango, pineapple). The palate is rich, fat, and powerful. Woody, vanilla, spicy, and peppery notes are followed by exotic fruit (mango, lychee, guava). Elegant, lovely persistence; very good cellar-aging potential.