Henri Bourgeois, 2018 Update
I suppose I should start with the name. This is a tasting report on the latest releases from an extensive Sancerre domaine that grew from the few parcels of vines once tended by a hard-working 20th-century vigneron who went by the name of Etienne Henri Bourgeois. Up until recently this domaine has always gone by the name of Henri Bourgeois, a nod to the man himself. With the 2017 vintage, however, the Bourgeois family have taken the decision to introduce a new name, to reflect the domaine as it is today.
There are three generations of the Bourgeois family engaged in the running of this domaine, not a common phenomenon, most domaines being passed gingerly from the older generation, eager to retire, to the younger generation. It is not unusual to find that the latter first tried his or her hand at some other vocation, before returning to their roots. Here, however, grandfathers, fathers and sons are all present in the vineyard and at the press, and the new name of Famille Bourgeois is a reflection of the multi-generational nature of the team. At present it seems to be in use only on some single-vineyard wines, and some of the négoce cuvées, but presumably it will be used more widely in future.
The Wines
There may be multiple members of the family running the business, but as usual it was the dynamic Arnaud Bourgeois (pictured) that I met up with to check out the latest vintages here. Arnaud poured a broad range of wines, including entry-level cuvées in the 2017 vintage, already published in my 2017 Central Vineyards report, and the emblematic Bourgeois cuvées such as Jadis and Etienne Henri. It was also another opportunity to take a look at the new single-vineyard cuvées, including Le Cotelin which I did not taste when I visited last July, as well as a couple of red wines.
