Loire négociant Ackerman on course to buy Château de Sancerre

 

Sancerre with Château de Sancerre 

to right of the tower mainly hidden 

by trees from this perpective

Ackerman looks likely to acquire the 55-hectare Château de Sancerre. The château has a dominant position over the small town of Sancerre. Long owned by Marnier-Lapostolle it was bought by the Campari Group, some two years ago. Campari are now in the process of divesting themselves of all of their still wine domaines. The sale is subject to final authorisation.   

 

Announcement from Ackerman 

'La Maison Ackerman a présenté une offre de rachat du Domaine Château de

Sancerre, jusqu’alors détenu par la Société des Produits Marnier-Lapostolle.

Cette transaction, approuvée par la SAFER, doit lui permettre de reprendre

l’exploitation de plus de 55 hectares de vignes d’une marque prestigieuse et le

savoir-faire de ses équipes vins et commerciales. Elle s'inscrit dans notre

stratégie de premiumisation, à travers le rayonnement des vins de Loire en

France et à l'Export. La réalisation de cette opération est maintenant soumise à

l’autorisation de l’administration qui, nous l’espérons sera positive.'

Announcement of sale to today on zonebourse:

'Gruppo Campari cède le domaine du Château de Sancerre pour € 20,5 million et confirme son désengagement complet du segment des vins tranquilles

Milan, 12 juin 2017- Gruppo Campari a annoncé aujourd'hui la conclusion d'un accord de cession du domaine français du Château de Sancerre à la Maison Ackerman, la division vins de Terrena, un groupe français avec des intérêts diversifiés dans l'agroalimentaire.

La valeur d'entreprise est de € 20,5 million. La branche d'activité cédée comprend les vins de Sancerre ainsi que des immeubles, des vignes, des bâtiments d'exploitation, de vinification et des stocks.

Pour l'exercice clos le 31 décembre 2016 le domaine du Château de Sancerre a généré un chiffre d'affaires de € 3,5 million.

Conformément à la réglementation locale, l'opération, qui a été validée par la SAFER, l'organisme en charge de l'aménagement du territoire rural, est soumise à une autorisation administrative finale. La transaction ne pourra être clôturée qu'une fois cette autorisation obtenue.

Le domaine du Château de Sancerre s'étend sur plus de 55 hectares de vignes et son portefeuille est composé des réputés vins de la Vallée de la Loire. Le domaine a été fondé en 1919 par Louis-Alexandre Marnier-Lapostolle, le créateur de la liqueur Grand Marnier, et a rejoint le périmètre de Gruppo Campari lors de l'acquisition Grand Marnier effectuée en juin 2016.

Bob Kunze-Concewitz, Chief Executive Officer-Gruppo Campari: 'Avec la vente du Domaine du Château de Sancerre, qui fait suite aux cessions des vins tranquilles Italiens et Chiliens, effectuées dans la dernière année, Gruppo Campari se retire intégralement du segment des vins tranquilles, et continue son désengagement des activités non stratégiques, pour se concentrer sur son cœur de métier des spiritueux. Depuis le début de l'année 2016, nous avons cédé des actifs non stratégiques pour une valeur totale d'environ € 117 million.'.
 

See here.

A day in Sancerre

A picnic in the middle of Menetou-Salon

Firstly, apologies that there wasn't another post yesterday. Unfortunately my best efforts were undone by a firewall where we were staying.

Driving over to Sancerre we came off the motorway at Vierzon and headed across country via Menetou-Salon and Morogues, stopping in Menetou for a couple of photos. It is noticeable, coming from the west to Menetou, you come through apple and pear country. Apart from one vineyard in the town, the vines don't appear to start until the eastern side of the town. Weatherwise a magnificent day.

Le Bric au Broc

We had a very good and reasonably priced lunch in the bistro section of La Côte des Mont Damnés. Two courses for 8.50€, three for 11.90€.The lunch menu yesterday was: quiche aux poireaux, navarin d’agneau and chanciaux aux pommes.

In the afternoon we had the tasting of 2009 whites – Pouilly-Fumé, Quincy and Sancerre. 126 wines in total 15 from Quincy, 41 Pouilly-Fumé and 70 Sancerre. I will write this up more detail over the next few days but of the three appellations I found Quincy to be the most consistent, although not the most interesting. I was more impressed with Pouilly-Fumé than usual. There were some very good Sancerres but also some that are currently suffering from being over-ripe with a lack of freshness.

 Looking over Les Loges to La Loire

After the tasting we did a quick visit to Pouilly to take some photos in the vineyards.

Vines above Les Loges and La Loire

In the evening we went to a Franco-Dutch evening at La Maison des Sancerre. The town of Sancerre is twinned with Markelo in Holland and there are a number of Dutch people who have had a long connection with the Sancerre region. Some have bought houses in the town. It was a lovely warm evening so we were able to eat and drink outside overlooking the old quarter of Sancerre and the vineyards.

Man eating a herring at the Franco-Dutch evening

Below an accordion player from Holland

More wines from 'France under one roof' (part 3)

 Château de Tracy

I start the third section with a couple of classics from the Central Vineyards:

2008 Caillottes, Sancerre, Jean-Max Roger

Although Jean-Max and his family doesn't get the media attention accorded to some other Sancerre producers, if you want a reference for consistently high quality Sancerre then you'll find it with Jean-Max Roger's wines. The ripe nose of the 2008 Caillottes is slightly deceptive as the wine is a countebalance of quite austere minerality with ripe gooseberry flavours. (Shown by Champagnes & Châteaux)

 Jean-Max Roger

2007 and 2008 Pouilly-Fumé, Château de Tracy, Count Henry d'Estutt d'Assay

I tasted the 08 and the 07 vintages – first the 2008 Tracy and then the 2007. It might have been better to have tasted them the other way round but, as Kurt Vonnegut said from time to time, so it goes. Although the 2007 and 2008 vintages have much in common the 2008 is definitely the riper, more concentrated of the two years with a ripe aromas and flvaours, although with quite an austere finish. The 2007 is very typical of this very precise, clean years – leaner, more mineral and austere.  

Count Henry in his Haute Densité vineyard: October 2009 

At Les Grands Chais de France I had an interesting tasting with Tim North, the UK director. "One of Grands Chais' best moves was to buy Vinival," he said. The 2009 Kiwi Cuvée is an inter-regional blend of Sauvignon coming from the Loire, Gascony and the Midi. The sort of inter-regional blending that is entirely common and natural in Australia but something that vin de pays producers in the Midi have long fought to prevent – going to court to derail earlier attempts such as cépages de France to have the inter-regional option. Kiwi Cuvée is soft, easy drinking, commercial and reasoanble value at £5.99.

As well as buying Vinival in the Loire, Grands Chais also snapped up Maison Sauvion, including Château du Cléray (Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine), and Châteu de Fesles. The austere and lemony 2008 Château du Cléray with a long finish shows that Pierre Sauvion continues to make good Muscadet. 

Part 4 – Les Caves de Pyrène (to follow)

'France under one roof' tasting: 10th March 2010

This was a useful opportunity to taste a good number of Loire wines fairly quickly. I was rather unusually well organised for the tasting as I had downloaded the tasting catalogue in advance and printed off the lists from exhibitors showing Loire wines. Something worth doing as it saved a lot of time scrabbling through the 105 page catalogue on the day.

Highlights included the rich and opulent 2008 Quincy from Phillippe Portier and the soft and concentrated 2006 Concerto Saint Nicolas de Bourgueil, Vignoble de la Janoterie These two producers are looking for UK importers. I tried all the 2009 Sauvignon Blanc AC Touraine Ambassadors, the Interloire project involving Interloire). From these I'd pick out: quite concentrated Ante Vinum, Château de Quinçay (Meusnes in the Cher Valley and a producer of Touraine and Valençay),  the very zippy and fresh Domaine de Fontenay (Didier Corby), the 2009 Châteauvieux from Pierre Chainier, the Cristal Buisse (Paul Buisse – now part of Pierre Chainier) and Domaine Gibault (Les Martinières, Noyers-sur-Cher).

I tasted the full range on show from Domaine Fouassier (Sancerre) – represented on this occasion by Benoît and Paul Fouassier and the ever green, Michael Ott, The estate is in full conversion to biodynamic viticulture  and tasting these wines confirms my view that this a domaine on the move. Among the around dozen wines tasted I particularly liked the mouthfilling 2008 'sur la fort' white Sancerre from limestone slopes and the weighty and minerally 2008 Les Chasseignes (clay and limestone). Although they have been making Melodie de Gustave Fouassier since 1996, I hadn't come across it before. This Sancerre Blanc is a blend that is selected at the momenrt of pressing and then fermented for around 10 months in wood. Only 3000 bottles are made, which is probably why I haven't encountered it before. There is still a touch of wood on the 2006 but it has attractive rich and toasty fruit. 

It was good to taste some of Daniel Lambert Wines Ltd's selection of Loire wines including those from Domaine Villageau in the Coteaux du Giennois like the clean and weighty 2009 white (100% Sauvignon Blanc) and too reds that have a minimal percentage of Gamay – presumably to comply with the absurd AC regulations that ban 100% Pinot Noir and insist on a small percentage of Gamay. The 2008 Les LiCôtes has an attractive, ripe Pinot Noir character of some structure. Aged in wood it doesn't need its small drop of Gamay. Under the VDQS regulations Villageau could market a 100% Pinot Noir, if AC regulations were based on common sense they would be able to sell a 100% Pinot Noir as an AC Coteaux du Giennois.

Daniel had a couple of 2008 Sancerres from Balland-Chapuis – I preferred the more mineral La Vallion to the other Sancerre that rather dominated by asparagus notes.

To finish.. 

Message from Benoit Fouassier

Benoit Fouassier sorting Pinot Noir: 28th September 2009

Hello Jim,

Les vendanges sont maintenant terminées chez nous depuis vendredi soir, où nous avons fini la vendange manuelle de la dernière parcelle de Pinot Noir.

Ce millésime devrait être fantastique chez nous, tant les moûts sont fruités et équilibrés. Les rendements sont minuscules, environ 21 hl/ha pour les blancs et 23 pour les rouges, avec des degrés allant de 13.5 à 14.5, mais de bonnes acidités (4.5 à 6). Nous devrions donc avoir des vins bien équilibrés et pleins de matière.

Les fermentations viennent de démarrer et nous pourrons déguster ensemble nos vins lors de ton prochain passage à Sancerre !

Amicalement,

Benoit

Benoit Fouassier
Domaine Fouassier
180 Avenue de Verdun
18300 Sancerre
contact@fouassier.fr
www.fouassier.fr
02.48.54.02.34

Domaine Fouassier: Boxes of Pinot Noir waiting to be sorted

Sancerre does play a major role in its appellation

From the heights above Chavignol looking across vineyards to Sancerre with virtually all the vines in the photo within the commune of Sancerre

Eric Asimov (New York Times and The Pour) is one of my favourite US wine columnists. In mid-April his weekly article ‘Sancerre: Say It With Feeling’ 15th April 2009 was devoted to Sancerre and centred around a tasting of 2007 white Sancerres. I was pleased to see the 2007 from Lucien Crochet come out as the top recommendation. I think Gilles Crochet is currently doing a terrific job in all three of the colours of Sancerre. The runners up were Jean-Paul Picard, Domaine Vacheron and Pascal Cotat.

However, my attention was also caught by this assertion: ‘This is Sancerre territory, centered around the villages of Bué and Chavignol (very little wine comes from the town of Sancerre itself).’ (enboldened by Jim)

In this instance Eric Asimov is incorrect – some of the appellation’s biggest names are based in or around the town of Sancerre. I suspect that Sancerre producers like Château de Sancerre, Domaine Fouassier, Alphonse Mellot, Joseph Mellot, Domaine Vacheron and La Cave de Sancerre (co-operative) would take issue with him and I could throw in Pascal Cotat and Vincent Grall for good measure. Indeed four of Eric’s recommended producers (Vacheron, Pascal Cotat, Château de Sancerre and Thomas Labaille) come from the commune of Sancerre.

Leaving aside the producers the commune of Sancerre does also have some significant vineyards, in particular to the west, south west and south of the town. Famous sites such as La Moussière, Les Grands Champs, Les Romains and La Belle Dame are all in Sancerre.

Vines to west of town of Sancerre in the area that includes Les Grands Champs, La Moussière and Le Paradis

The commune of Sancerre also includes the villages of Amigny and Chavignol, although I suspect the inhabitants of Chavignol would insist that Sancerre is actually an adjunct or suburb of Chavignol and that French bureaucracy has made a mistake here. However until that decision is reversed, La Côte des Monts Damnés, Le Cul de Beaujeu and La Grand Côte are in Sancerre.