Sancerre, France
Domaine Michel Gerard is owned and managed by two brothers, Philippe the winemaker and Benoît the viticulturalist, with the help of their two daughters Amandine and Margot. The domaine was established in the 1973 by their late father, Michel Girard, when he began bottling the wines he made. Michel’s heritage in Sancerre stretches far back into history – the Girard family can trace their roots back to the French Revolution of 1789, with an unbroken thread of growers and vineyard workers recorded in the local parish annals!
Today, the family manage 40 separate plots in various locations within Sancerre, with vineyards covering all three of the region's terroirs. Their wines reflect a unique terroir-driven style, with each of the three bringing its own nuances: fruit and aroma from les Caillottes, "gras et rondeur" (plumpness/flesh/body/smoothness) from les Terres Blanches, and a sparkle of minerality and finesse from Silex.
In 2023, Domaine Michel Girard started to convert to organic production. The family are gradually applying stricter viticultural practices in their vineyards: working the soil more organically; protecting and encouraging biodiversity; using more natural yeasts cultivated from their own vineyards; managing water use more stringently in the winery, and so on.