Vincent and Adelaide Grall

Adelaide Grall outside their very small winery in Sancerre

(12 August 2008)
At the end of our visit to La Maison des Sancerre there remained nearly a couple of hours before we could see its director, Denis Roumet. So we went to visit Vincent Grall, who we were told was Sancerre’s smallest producer with just three hectares of vines. Certainly Vincent and Adelaide, his wife, are one of the smallest but Pascal Cotat with just 2.5 ha looks to be the current contender for this particular crown. (If there is another Sancerre producer with fewer vines, please let me know.)

By now the weather had cleared up. The sun was out as Sarah and I walked down through the steep streets of old Sancerre to 149 Avenue Nationale – the road that sweeps round the base of the old town and either leads down to Menetreol or up to Porte Cesar and the central square of Sancerre. From the outside it looks like a normal town house, so I assumed that this was their tasting room and where the Gralls live. It is not until you get inside that you discover that it is also the winery with all the equipment crammed into what would normally be the garage – a true garagiste!

The Gralls' three hectares of vines are on both silex (flint) and clay with some limestone. They have just 25 ares of Pinot Noir – 100 ares make one hectare – the rest is Sauvignon Blanc. Vincent started his wine career with the Vacherons – he is a cousin – before becoming chef de culture (vineyard manager) for Alphonse Mellot. He left in 1999 to set up on his own having started to plant his own vines in 1988 – looking after them in his spare time. 2000 saw him as a full-time vigneron starting to develop his bottle sales. Now 50% of his production is exported.

Vincent Grall in his Le Manoir vineyard, Sancerre

We started with the quite rich and round Cuvée Tradition 2006. Unlike some 2006s it had good acidity to balance its richness. The 2007 was plus vif, more mineral – very clean, precise flavours and length. Then 2006 and 2007 of Le Manoir, the 0.6 ha vineyard that overlooks Ménétréol-sous-Sancerre and is, unusually for Sancerre, on a band of quite heavy clay. Again there were clear vintage differences with the 2006 rich, weighty and long with a hint of nuttiness compared to the minerally 2007. The wines are vinified and aged in 600-litre barrels (demi-muids). They used less battonage (lees stirring) on the 2007 Manoir.

Evening light on vineyards alongside the Route de l’Orme

Later, with Vincent, I made a quick visit to his vineyards. We started with those on silex by the Route de l’Orme just to south west of Sancerre. 80% of the Gralls' vines are on silex. The vineyards are grassed. Vincent aims for small and well aerated bunches of grapes.

Evening light@Le Manoir

with the vineyards of Pouilly in the distance

The presence of clay at Le Manoir vineyard was soon all too evident as my shoes were rapidly transformed into platform-heels of thick mud as the ground was particularly claggy following all the recent rain.

Vincent Grall, 149 Avenue Nationale, 18300 Sancerre.
Tel : 02.48.78.00.42 or 06.75.48.12.46
Email: info@grall-vigneron-sancerre.com
Web: www.grall-vigneron-sancerre.com