Sancerre, Grand Chemarin, Jean-Max Roger 2020

Based in Bué in the south of the Sancerre appellation, this domaine nestles in a massive theatre of vines overlooking the Berry Plain, and has a fine reputation for Sancerre in all its forms - white, red and rosé.

The Roger family have been vignerons in the area since the seventeenth century, however, it was not until the early 1970s when Jean-Max Roger took over 4 ha from his parents that the estate really started to take off. In 2004 he was joined by two of his sons, Etienne and Thibault. Today they farm 34 hectares, 28 ha in Sancerre and 6 ha in Menetou Salon, across more than 40 different plots taking in all the significant soils types of the region, including the stony clay soils, the kimmeridgian clay, and the classic flint. They farm sustainably using cover crops to prevent soil erosion, as well as to improve soil structure and increase biodiversity. They use a combination of machine harvesting as well as manual which they reserve for the old vines. Parts of their winery date back to the 17th century including part of the village's former tithe barn, but it has been extended in all directions as the need for space in the winery has arisen. Fermentation takes place in a mix of stainless and enamelled steel tanks and at least a small proportion of each wine is fermented in 400L oak casks, as little as 5% for the normal cuvées and up to 33% for the top old vine wines.