Vincent Pinard: Vineyards
The Vincent Pinard domaine accounts for 17 hectares of vines planted on the slopes around Bué, including some very notable sites. Of note, the size of the domaine has not changed since it was first profiled on Winedoctor, the current Pinard generation content with the size of the vineyard. They have expended beyond this 17 hectares with a new project, however, named Pinard Brothers. More detail on the latter is provided towards the foot of the page; first, let’s look at the Pinard vineyard-proper.
Of these 17 hectares about 70% is committed to Sauvignon Blanc, the rest being Pinot Noir, and the Pinards have a very good reputation for their work with both varieties. On the whole the vines are planted on caillottes, the Oxfordian limestone which characterises the vineyards of Bué. Indeed, this soil-type characterises much of Sancerre, the flint soils being a rare streak that runs up through Sancerre itself and nearby Saint-Satur, while the Kimmeridgian limestones are most prominent on the slopes of Chavignol, although they do run beyond this famed village into Bué and other corners of the appellation, not to mention Menetou-Salon.
The vines are planted at a density typically somewhere between 7,000 and 10,000 vines per hectare, depending on the plot. Most work in the vines is achieved by hand; the yields are controlled by short pruning, debudding and green harvesting if required, and when it comes to harvest time this is achieved through hand-picking, hence the convoy of white vans (and don’t forget the Méhari) described in my introduction to this profile.
When I first published this profile I noted that the domaine had no certified adherence to any organic or biodynamic philosophy, but this has certainly changed in more recent times. Clément Pinard states the domaine has been practicing organic viticulture for many years, and it was certainly true even when I visited back in 2013 they used no chemical herbicides, fungicides or pesticides. During the years that followed, however, the Pinards formalised their work, and undertook organic certification which was awarded by ECOCERT in the 2024 vintage. They have also been using elements of biodynamics since 2016, but have no certification, and I don’t expect them to seek it. “Certification in biodynamics is pointless,” Clément told me during my most recent visit.
