Domaine Dozon (Eric Santier), 2018 Chinon "Clos du Saut au Loup"
Cab Franc du Jour #50
The estate was in the hands of the Dozon family for five generations until 2013, when it was sold to Éric Santier. The older generation of the Dozon family had married into a Bourgueil wine family and chose to consolidate and manage a single estate going forward. Éric is a Chinon native who, after a career promoting and marketing French food products internationally, decided to make a change and return home to enter the wine industry.
Le Saut au Loup: One of Chinon’s Premier Crus
The domaine itself covers 14 hectares, while the lieu-dit of Le Saut au Loup spans 15 hectares in total, meaning all but 1 hectare belongs to Domaine Dozon. The site was recognised as a premier cru level vineyard as far back as the 1940s.
Le Saut au Loup is located in the commune of Ligré, on the left bank, or south side, of the Vienne River, set back approximately 4.5km from the river on a south-facing slope that is well sheltered by surrounding forests. That protection, combined with the nature of the slope, makes this a notably warm site within the appellation.
Parcel Selection and Winemaking
The cuvée called the Clos du Saut au Loup is from a 7-hectare parcel on a pronounced south-southeast-facing slope, ranging in elevation from around 100m at the top to approximately 80m at the foot. The bedrock is the Upper Turonian yellow tuffeau chalk, and the topsoil is a mix of clay and sand with flint from the Senonian era, a soil type known locally as perruches. The vines are around 40 years of age, and the vineyards are currently undergoing organic conversion.
The fruit is fully destemmed before undergoing approximately three weeks of maceration on skins. Aging takes place in a combination of concrete and foudre for around nine to twelve months before bottling.
Wine Details
Producer: Domaine Dozon (Eric Santier)
Appellation: Chinon
Commune: Ligré
Lieu-Dit: Le Saut au Loup
Soil: Clay and sand with flint pebbles on the Upper Turonian yellow tuffeau
Alcohol: 14%