2013 Domaine Daulny Sancerre Le Clos de Chaudenay 750 ml

Domaine Étienne Daulny Le Clos de Chaudenay: 65-Year-Old-Vine Sancerre

We visited the Loire Valley in July, as we have every summer since 1992. Rather than making a half-dozen visits per day as we once did, we’ve learned that “less is more” when trying to come to grips with the vagaries of a single growing season.

In nearly every top cellar, the description of the 2013 vintage was quite the same. This was a topsy-turvy growing season where the greatest cellars of Sancerrois came through with flying colors, while the lesser names struggled to nurse their Sauvignon Blanc to ripeness. Particularly in the case of the oldest parcels in the appellation, the 2013s were absolutely superb — few more so than the Daulny brothers’ 65-year-old-vine Le Clos de Chaudenay.

During a three-hour tasting with Étienne and Bertrand Daulny, one that began with this 2013 and concluded with a stunning and still marvelously youthful 1984, we were treated to a blow-by-blow description of this one-of-a-kind vintage.

“To say the least, we got off to a slow start,” Étienne Daulny began with a laugh. “Winter was cold. Then it was like spring never came. May and June were cool and wet. Like 1984, flowering came very late, towards the end of June, two weeks later than the norm. And while there was plenty of sunshine in July and August, we had very few hot days.”

Then Étienne’s brother, Bertrand — long the most renowned enologist of the appellation— chimed in. “Years ago, I don’t think we would have had the courage to do what we did in 2013. Modern viticulture is far more advanced than it was 20 years ago. We’re so much more attentive to the needs of each plant. In 2013, while the maturation process was well behind schedule, acids remained firm. So rather than pick in the third week of September as we always did in the 1980s, we waited well into October to harvest ‘Clos de Chaudenay.’ It was a bad year for the accountants because yields were down nearly 25%. But it’s a terrific year for quality. Not only is the 2013 delicious now, my guess is that it will live gracefully as the 1984 has — for two or three decades.”

Pale green-gold. Gorgeously perfumed aromas of white peach, honeysuckle, apple, and anise. Rich and broad on the attack, with juicy ripe citrus and apple-pear flavors. After 45 minutes of air, the 65-year-old-vine fruit really begins to show off. Aromas are more pungent, while flavors seem to sweeten up though the wine is absolutely bone-dry! Finishes with great length and clarity. Firm acid backbone, supporting Bertrand Daulny’s contention that one of the more remarkable vintages of Sancerre “Clos de Chaudenay” won’t be hitting full stride until the mid-2020s.

$32 on release. At $22 today, this is one of the more electrifying white wine offers of the year. Shipping included on 6.