Reuilly ‘Les Fossiles', Domaine de Reuilly 2020

Denis Jamain' s Domaine de Reuilly comprises 18 hectares of vineyards all in the commune of Reuilly. There are 11 hectares of sauvignon blanc and 4 hectares of pinot noir on the vineyards of Les Coignons and Les Pierres Plates in limestone-clay soils which resemble those in Chablis, and these contribute to the wine's stony and mineral character, even in riper vintages. The Kimmeridgian soil contains a high proportion of crushed sea shells that are over 150 million years old. The three hectares of pinot gris, which are used to make a vin gris rosé, are on the vineyards of Les Chatillons and Les Conges on sand and gravels. The grapes travel a maximum of 2km from vineyards to the shared winery in Reuilly.

It was Denis' maternal grandfather, Camille Rousseau, who first planted vines on the family's property in 1935, starting with just two hectares of sauvignon blanc. His other passion was forestry and Denis still manages the family's oak plantings in the village of Vatan. Today six people work permanently for the domaine: four in the vineyards, one in the winery and one on sales and marketing. With the help of Patrick Ragu, Denis has farmed organically since 2007, using biodynamic practices since 2012. The first Reuilly Les Pierres Plates, our preferred cuvée, was made in 1998. Older vine fruit now goes into the new Les Fossiles cuvée, produced from 2011. 2013 was the second year of trialling playing music eight minutes a day in the vineyards, in the hope it, along with biodynamics, will help against the vine disease l'esca (by stimulating amino acids), which is a particular problem in sauvignon blanc.