2015 Domaine Anthony & David Girard Sancerre Les Monts Damnes

Les Monts Damnés: Greatest Vineyard in Sancerre

Napa Valley has To Kalon. Champagne has Clos de Mesnil. Burgundy has Montrachet. And Sancerre has Les Monts Damnés. The steep, vertigo-inducing hillside, Les Montes Damnés literally translates to “the cursed mountains.” Legend is that the grape harvesters named the site as such as it was always the most difficult in the region to pick. The small, 7-acre site is comprised of the fossil-rich Kimmeridgianlimestone that dates back 200 million years and was formed during the Jurassic period. The Kimmeridgianlimestone in Chavignol is the same you’ll find in the finest Grand Crus of Chablis just 60 miles away. Grapes grown on the soil have a distinct smoky and flinty character and give the wines a true thumbprint of the soil.

The Girard family has been on the steep hillsides of Les Monts Damnés for four generations. The domaine has been run by Anthony Girard since he took over the family business in 2007. His great-grandfather Serge Renard first planted his parcel of Les Monts Damnés right after World War II, all by his own hand. Anthony hasn’t changed a thing since his grandfather’s day and he is the direct beneficiary of those vines planted 70 years ago, some of the most complex, small-berried Sauvignon Blanc on the mountain today. In the richest, most copious of vintages, those 70-year-old vines can achieve exceptional quality and complexity at low cost. Such was the case in 2015.

The 2015 growing season in the Loire Valley got off to an epic start and never slowed down.

A warm, dry spring gave way to a hot and sunny summer —setting up 2015 in Sancerre to be one of the finest growing seasons in recent memory. In Chavignol, it was smooth sailing clear through the end of August, without any of the usual hurdles (hail, mildew, etc.) the Sancerrois face in more challenging years.

By the time the call to harvest came at the beginning of September — one of the earliest on record — the Sauvignon grapes planted in the limestone hillsides of Sancerre had ripened to perfect maturity. Fruit quality was off the charts for Girard. While many made good wine in 2015, the vintage allowed the top winemakers like Anthony Girard to shine. Rarely have we seen wines of such mouthwatering concentration, with all of the riveting, chalky, mineral-driven acidity that screams Les Monts Damnés.

Bright straw-yellow with riveting aromas of pear, licorice, and wet stone. Rich, supple, and pure with a stony austerity and intense minerality balancing the fleshy, orchard-fruit flavors.The finish is long and sumptuous with a savory and a subtle herbal nuance adding complexity. Drink now to 2025.

Anthony & David Girard’s “Les Monts Damnés” is not only one of the richest Sancerres we’ve encountered from 2015, it’s off one of the finest vineyard sites for Sauvignon Blanc in the entire world. Just $23.99 today for as long as 600 bottles last. Shipping included on 6.

• ABV 13.00%
• Enjoy right away
• % Sauvignon Blanc