Domaine des Huards Cour-Cheverny Prose 2022

Domaine des Huards has been in the Gendrier family since 1846. In the 1950s, the family farmed 10 acres of vines, mostly Romorantin. In the 1960s, more parcels were planted as their focus on the domaine’s viticulture increased significantly. In the 1970s, Michael, the seventh-generation Gendrier, quit using chemicals in the vines and moved in an organic and then biodynamic direction, receiving certification in 1998. His son Alex grew up with biodynamics and is now full time at the domaine with Michael, helping to manage its 104 acres of vines (along with 91 acres of forest and fields, plus a herd of sheep). The domaine is in Cheverny, an appellation of close to 1,600 acres in eastern Touraine, about a third of the way from Tours to Sancerre. It’s also in the tiny appellation of Cour-Cheverny, which currently has a vineyard surface of a mere 130+ acres dedicated solely to the rare Romorantin (Cheverny, the sister and overlapping appellation, is reserved for a range of other Loire varieties). All of Huards’ vines are within 850 meters of the winery, meaning that the grapes arrive to the press freshly hand-harvested—they do not buy any outside fruit—and from vine to bottle every step is done as simply and transparently as possible. Ferments are spontaneous, stainless steel is preferred for upbringing because it’s the most neutral, and the only addition to the wine is a small amount of SO2 (typically 5-20ppm for the reds and 20-40ppm for the whites). There’s no fining and only a light filtration at bottling.