We’d booked ourselves on a tour with the producer Henri Bourgeois. It is the same family that owns the hotel we are staying in. The Bourgeois family has worked together for 10 generations to create wines. In the 1950’s Henri Bourgeois took the brave step to cultivate vines in an area unknown for wine grapes, which was later realised to be perfect for quality grapes.

In the 1960’s his two sons, Jean-Marie and Rémi, joined him in his adventure. They were soon discovering new terroirs, and buying plots of land to develop their business, along with developing partnerships with other Sancerre families. Over time, they have become ambassadors for the reputation of Sancerre, not just in France, but all around the world.

´Famille Bourgeois’ is now a family name synonymous with Sancerre and the little village of Chavignol.

We enjoyed a fantastic tour of their winery in Chavignol, learning about the history of the region, how they hid their important wines during invasion and how they are continuing to stay at the forefront of production in Sancerre.

They are currently building a gravity press in their very modern winery, to minimise the risk of oxidation during the pressing process.

Following the tour we headed back to the tasting room, to try some of their spectacular wines. None of them disappointed.

We were heading to another tasting in the afternoon at Domaine Delaporte, but before that we all fancied a spot of lunch, and found a small bar that served a sharing platter of meats and cheese. All absolutely delicious.

After our lunch and tasting, which was again very good, the sun was out, so we thought a little walk up to the viewpoint would help build an appetite for dinner.

Spectacular.