The vineyards of Sancerre
The ancient vineyards of Sancerre undoubtedly owe their development to the 12th century Augustine monks of Saint Satur.
At this time, the proximity of the river Loire was a vital transport link, and the wines of Sancerre became famous and often mentioned in royal edicts.
Since the end of the 19th century, Sancerre has mainly been planted with the Sauvignon Blanc grape.
In 1936, Sancerre White became an AOC, the Red and Rosé in 1959.
The vineyards cover about 2,800 hectares, spread over 14 communes.
The Domain
With a family heritage dating back to the 16th century in the commune of Verdigny, Michel welcomes you to the family Domaine.
Like his father Hippolyte REVERDY before him, Michel devotes all his time to his 14 hectares (11 planted with Sauvignon Blanc and 3 with Pinot Noir); he manages every aspect of the business from the production to the sales of his red, white and rosé wines.
The vines
To ensure high quality wines, Michel tends his vines all year round, following the patterns of the seasons.
The main stages working in the vines:
- In winter, PRUNING: the vines are dormant. It is the time to prune the branches to ready the vines for the following harvest.
- Spring and summer are the time of the VEGATIVE PHASE OF THE VINE: this is the time to work the soil (hoeing), followed by the trellising (enclosing the vine's green branches between the metal wires), and the de-budding of the new growth to better manage yields. This is also the period that Michel, on the advice of an agronomic engineer, uses ‘controlled treatment' to ensure a low impact on the environment (using the minimum of chemical treatments, whilst providing the vines with all they need).
- In autumn, the HARVEST: it is the moment to discover the fruits of our labour. The grapes are picked and taken to our cellars to make the wine.
The Soils
The vines of Domaine Hippolyte REVERDY are planted on 2 types of soil:
- The ‘white soils' (kimmeridgien): limestone-clay soils that produce full-bodied wines that age slowly.
- The ‘pebbly soils': limestone based and stony, they produce wines that evolve quickly to fruity ones.
An intelligent blending of the musts from these 2 terroirs is an integral part of the Domaine Hippolyte REVERDY wines.