Pierre Morin

Gérard Morin took over the family’s 1½ hectares of vineyard about twenty years ago and his son, Pierre has been gradually eased into the front line and now runs the show. More cosmopolitan, perhaps, than his father he spent time in Australia’s Adelaide Hills (where he saw nothing to make him revise any of his winemaking practices) and at Domaine Dujac. His time there reflects his enthusiasm for pinot noir and explains the wine’s typically intense style. Meanwhile the estate has grown to a more comfortable nine hectares. These consist of seven of sauvignon blanc and two of pinot noir planted on crus such as Les Châteaux and Crépon, amongst the finest and steepest of Bué.

With their vines planted on the steep hard-calcaire amphitheatre of vineyards that surround the commune of Bué, three kilometres from Sancerre, Gérard and Pierre make rich, aromatic Sancerres and some particularly deep reds. Yields are held low through a spring de-budding (one of Pierre’s main changes) and harvesting is by hand. Fermentations are by parcel in an air-conditioned chai in enamelled steel vats with the finished wines left alone on their lees for as long as possible.

Morin’s Sancerre is typical of Bué: firmly structured and richly aromatic, it is generous and fruity in character, with a fine tangy blackcurrant leaf character. Pierre’s recommended food match is not a Chavignol goat’s cheese (he doesn’t like cheese) but an andouillette cooked in the vineyard on vine prunings. Ideally for breakfast.