The Estate

An introduction to the estate

The estate is located in Thauvenay, the ancestral home of the Laloue family.
It is comprised of 20 hectares of AOC Sancerre (Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir grapes) and 5 hectares of IGP Côtes de la Charité (Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes) vineyards.

The estate produces approximately 200,000 bottles per year. France is our principal market though we also currently export to approximately fifteen countries.

A few highlightsof our history

  1. 1960
  2. 1980
  3. 1990
  4. 1992
  5. 1996
  6. 1998
  7. 2002
  8. 2006
  9. 2012
  10. 2014
  11. 2015
  12. 2018
  13. 2020
  14. 2021
  15. 2022
  16. 2023

  1. Serge Laloue

    Although his parents were farmers, Serge decided to focus on viticulture.

    He began to expand the estate to have 20 hectares of AOC Sancerre vines in his native village of Thauvenay.

    That is where his children grew up, amid the vines and the winery, where work and family life were indissociable.

  2. Cuvée Silex

    The first cuvée to be crafted with grapes from selected terroirs, our Cuvée Silex, which grew to become the estate’s “jewel” over the years, marked the arrival of a plot selection approach at the estate.

  3. Eco-balanced viticulture

    From this date on, profound changes were undertaken in vineyard management. The estate began to implement environmentally responsible practices.

  4. Franck Laloue

    Serge’s son returned to the estate, after pursuing viticultural studies in Beaune.

  5. A new winery

    The entire grape reception area was completely renovated.

  6. Christine

    Christine, Franck’s sister, came back to work at the estate.

  7. Cuvée 1166

    This was the first vintage of the Cuvée 1166, named for the number of vine stocks in this little plot on the hill of Sancerre, facing the Loire River. Aged in demi-muids (600-litre barrels), this wine boasts complexity and freshness as well as remarkable cellaring potential.  

  8. Death of Serge Laloue

    The Estate was taken over by Christine & Franck.

  9. Les Rôties

    Our red Sancerre Cuvée Les Rôties came into being. This cuvée, crafted from grapes grown on limestone terroirs in selected plots, yields wines that boast remarkable elegance and feature aromas and flavours of red fruit. The totality of the wines are aged in 600-litre barrels and each year 2 to 3 of them are selected for the crafting of this cuvée.

  10. Les Poitevinnes

    A concrete egg was purchased in order to carry out an experiment for the vinification of wine from limestone terroirs. After a year of ageing, the wine proved to be very mineral, floral and airy, and so our Cuvée Les Poitevinnes, resulting from plot selection, was born.

  11. A shop in Sancerre

    We opened a shop in the town centre, which allows us to welcome visitors during the tourist season.

  12. Les Côtes de la Charité

    Acquisition of 5 hectares (2.5 ha Chardonnay and 2.5 ha Pinot Noir) of IGP Côtes de la Charité vineyards.

    Located in Mauvrain in the commune of La Celle-sur-Nièvre, these plots are niched in a lush green setting in the middle of the Bertranges forest on magnificent terroirs composed of terres blanches (white earth).

    Christine & Franck have great ambition for these wines.

  13. Clément

    End of 2020, Clément Laloue, Franck's son, returned to the family estate after a BTS in viticulture and oenology and numerous internships.

  14. La Brillade

    New plot on a magnificent plot on flint soil with aging in Stockinger tuns for 1 year.

  15. New winery

    Construction of a new winery

  16. Sancerre Rouge, Vendanges Entières

    In 2023, the quality of the grapes allowed us to vinify a small plot using whole bunches. Aged for 18 months in oak barrels, this wine is dense, silky, and fruity.

The lalouespirit

At the heart of an environmentally friendly approach, work in the vineyard is very important in order to maintain the plant's natural balance and obtain the best grapes.

After obtaining organic farming certification in 2023, we had to give it up the following year due to extremely adverse weather conditions.

We remain committed to respecting the environment and practising sustainable viticulture.

DISCOVER THE TERROIRS OF SANCERRE...

1. The sandy-clay soils are iron rich and contain few stones. They are found toward the base of the slopes. These soils yield wines that boast exceptional aromatic finesse with floral and fruity notes.

2. The "caillottes are particularly stony calcareous soils. Located at mid-slope, they encourage rapid ripening of the grapes. The cuvées crafted with grapes from these terroirs take on floral notes and flavours of black fruit (especially blackcurrant). They are soft and are perfectly suited to being enjoyed in their youth.

3. The flint soils are found at the top of the slopes. They lend the wine mineral notes such as gunflint. As they are rather hard in their youth, it is preferable to lay them down for a short while so that they may soften and reveal their spicy aromas.

carte france

...Et ceux des
Côtes de la Charité

5 hectares of IGP Côtes de la Charité (Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes) on viticultural terroirs that quite strongly resemble those of Burgundy - sedimentary subsoil dating back to the Middle Jurassic (Bathonian and Bajocian ages) and alternating layers of limestone and marls that contribute to the aromatic richness of the wines.