Francois Le Saint - Fouassier, organic Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé wine

François Le Saint is a new project by Domaine Fouassier, which has existed in the Sancerre wine region since 1749. The estate is based in the village of Sancerre and cultivates almost 60 hectares of vineyards in the hilly terrain of the Loire. They are at an altitude of 150 to 300 m.

Depending on the location of the vineyards, the soils are calcareous, deep calcareous clay, marl or very chalky. The Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir vines growing on it are 10 - 50 years old and, due to their different locations, deliver more or less mineral-rich grapes, which contribute to the uniqueness of the organic wine from Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé.

At the beginning of the 21st century, the brothers Benoit and Paul took over the business and from then on began to introduce working techniques to meet the concerns of the environment, the workers in the vineyards and the expectations of informed and aware consumers.

The next logical step was the conversion to organic and biodynamic viticulture, which took place in 2008 and in 2011 with the organic certification of all vineyards including the winemaking in the cellar by ECOCERT and BIODYVIN.

The way of working in the vineyards with the so-called green harvest, in which the less well-developed grapes are cut off, reduces the yield but increases the quality of the grapes left on the vines. Depending on their degree of ripeness, they are harvested by machine between mid-September and early October and processed into wine in a modern cellar.

The fermentation that begins spontaneously with the natural yeasts found on the grapes is proof that the grapes have not been treated with synthetic fungicides. The white wines ferment and mature on their fine lees for a few months, while the red wines mature in French oak barrels and become more refined.

For the marketing of some of these wines, a new project "Francoise Le Saint" was created, with which the following organic wines are offered: