Vignoble Dauny

Vignoble Dauny - Organic Pioneers

The Dauny family is an old family of winegrowers from the Sancerre region who have been growing wine on the famous slopes of Champtin since 1683. The family is proud of its long tradition of organic viticulture. As early as 1964, Lucien Dauny converted the entire farm to organic farming. At that time, in addition to wine, they also grew cereals and raised livestock. The start was difficult, since there was little experience in this direction, but around 1970 the viticulture had qualitatively returned to the level at which the Daunys were before. in 1975, Christian and his wife Nicole took over the winery. Major milestones in the following years were the construction of the new cellar in 1986/87, as well as the first export of organic wines abroad in 1990 and the cellar expansion in 2014. Today, with Christian and Nicole's sons Benoît and Thibaut, the 13th generation is already working at the winery.

The terroir of Vignobles Dauny in Sancerre

Today, the estate has 17 hectares of vines, divided as follows:

• 13 ha for Sauvignon Blanc
• 4 ha for Pinot Noir

The two grape varieties are used to produce white, rosé and red wines, all of which are entitled to bear the Sancerre appellation designation. Three quarters of the production is white wine, 20% red and 5% rosé. In the vineyards, the so-called Bordeaux mixture, which consists mainly of copper sulfate and slaked lime, is used for pest control. This pesticide is one of the few allowed in organic farming in France. To prevent grass growth, the vineyard is plowed. The soils in Sancerre have a high lime content, and in the east of the region there is also a rich deposit of flint. The wine is harvested mechanically.

In the cellar

In the cellar, the Daunys rely on stainless steel aging to preserve the fruity acidity of the white wines. The high quality white wines are aged in barrique to give them a special touch. The estate's high-quality red wines are also aged in barrique. The rosé is vinified in stainless steel.