Domaine Vincent Pinard - Sancerre Chêne Marchand 2023
96/100
RVF
93/100
Decanter
93/100
Vinous
"A legendary vintage made for aging, with an intoxicating energy!"
This Sancerre remains among the finest terroir-driven Sauvignons; it exhibits beautiful body and intensity. Its selection of old vines and meticulous aging give it great complexity of flavors and a refinement worthy of the greatest white wines.
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Starting at €99 on your first order
Eye
Pale gold color
Nose
A wine of pure elegance and complexity, with notes of minerals, flowers, candied citrus, acacia honey, and honeysuckle, and subtle oak
Palate
Vibrant character derived from the limestone terroir; a finely crafted cuvée with beautiful body and lovely intensity
Serve
At 10°-12°C
Open
In advance
Drink before
2038+
Food and Wine Pairings
It pairs very well with fish tartare, pike in beurre blanc sauce, roasted langoustines, trout meunière, an omelet with chanterelle mushrooms, gougères, and Crottins de Chavignol...
Bettane & Desseauve
4-Star-Rated Estate (Producers of the very highest quality, the pride of French winemaking)
About the estate:
Brothers Clément and Florent Pinard continue to keep their estate at the pinnacle of success. With no sales agent or representative, their wines are served at the finest Michelin-starred restaurants and exported, delighting a handful of loyal enthusiasts eager to taste their latest vintages. They cultivate their 17 hectares according to the principles of organic farming—though without certification—and began practicing biodynamics in 2018. They produce refined, delicate whites and full-fruited reds, some made from whole-cluster harvests, which lend the Pinot additional richness and complexity and rank them among the finest wines of the Loire. Low sulfur content, indigenous yeasts carefully selected by the winemakers, and hand-harvesting—everything converges toward excellence, pushing every detail to new heights and challenging themselves with each vintage. The eight white wines, in particular, offer a highly educational exploration of Bué’s diverse terroirs, ranging from limestone to silica and marl.
Decanter
Wine rated (2025 guide) 93/100
About the wine:
This large vineyard offers beautiful concentration and lemony acidity. Grown in a naturally sunny terroir, this wine has volume and body, but the altitude and limestone subsoil lend it a complementary freshness. With a chalky texture, it reveals aromas of sweet fruit and a gentle mineral acidity. Hand-harvested, it is fermented with yeasts from the vineyard. Unfined and unfiltered, it is aged for one year in large oak barrels.
RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France
Wine rated (2026 guide) 96/100
Rated estate (2026 guide): 2*Stars (These exceptional estates, often boasting fabulous terroirs, are must-haves that, thanks to the consistency and excellence of their wines, deserve a place in the cellars of discerning wine lovers)
About the wine:
Once again, Chêne Marchand captivates with its remarkable purity: a white wine that is both powerful and endowed with a stimulating bitter structure.
About the estate:
In the wine-growing village of Bué, the Pinard family has made their estate one of the most iconic in Sancerre. With each vintage, brothers Florent and Clément continually push their boundaries to craft a palette of flavors that ever more closely reflects their terroirs—both in the vineyard (conversion to organic farming, yield control, optimal grape ripeness, etc.) and in the cellar (using native yeast strains from their vineyard for fermentation, extending aging in demi-muids, reducing the use of volcanic sulfur…). Florès proves to be an excellent introduction to understanding the stylized and perfectly calibrated approach to the whites. The intensity then builds with cuvées that embody specific lieux-dits, from the salty and chiseled Petit Chemarin to the austere and elegant power of Chêne Marchand, including Le Château, with its comforting density. The reds are no exception, with highly concentrated, increasingly well-defined structures. The wines acquire remarkable grace in the 2023 vintage.
Vinous
Wine rated (2025 guide) 93/100
About the wine:
The Chêne Marchand 2023 offers clarity and beautiful precision. It shows no harshness, despite its lively acidity, which lends it a refined character at its core. It is a very well-rounded wine, combining a lovely, reassuring roundness with a firm structure. The 2023 vintage is still young and will gain in fullness and richness as it ages in the bottle. Its primary character, with notes of citrus, will also become more interesting with age.