Serge Dagueneau: Vineyards
The domaine has expanded considerably since the time Serge Dagueneau took on his handful of hectares. Today there are 23 hectares of vines here, of which 18 hectares are dedicated to Sauvignon Blanc in the Pouilly-Fumé appellation and they have a single hectare or thereabouts planted to Chasselas, for the Pouilly-sur-Loire appellation. These particular vines are ancient, aged more than one hundred years, and they are propagated by the age-old method of marcottage. Most of these vines are planted on Kimmeridgian marl, one of the classic terroirs of the Pouilly-Fumé and Pouilly-sur-Loire appellations.
The balance, about 3 hectares (any deficiency in these numbers is due to rounding) is located to the south, near the hamlet of Saint-Lay in La Celle-sur-Nièvre, which means we are talking Côtes de la Charité. Serge and family are one of a small group of outsiders who have invested in this long-lost wine region, and their presence will be significant in rescuing it from extinction. Here they have about 0.5 hectares of Chardonnay, 0.5 hectares of Pinot Beurrot (perhaps better known outside region as Pinot Gris, and there is another 0.5 hectares of very young vines planted) and 2 hectares of Pinot Noir, all planted on soils of iron-rich clay over ancient Oxfordian limestone.
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