Vincent Pinard

“Clearly one of the great domaines of Sancerre, the Pinard family prove that there is life beyond the cultish addresses of Chavignol and the slopes of Sancerre itself. This is an exemplary domaine, using organic methods in the vineyard and cellar, reducing inputs without risking the integrity and stability of the wine (save for the occasional zero-added-sulphites experiment). They do use sulphites, but from a volcanic rather than an industrial source. The proof of what they do is in the pudding; these are great wines.” thewinedoctor.com, July 2026

NEW WINES - Pinard Brothers

Tiny amounts of 3 wines produced in 2023 from terroirs that are worked (but not owned) by the Vincent Pinard family.

In 2023, due to nature’s huge yields, the Pinards green harvested as much as 35% of the crop to allow the vine to concentrate its efforts or the equivalent of 28hl/ha. Thus, its first two white releases from 2023, Florès and Nuance, show more concentration than most, while its 2023 Rosé is a real gem. The 2022s are much more concentrated, tender and round while still retaining tension. Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous Media, July 2024

Pinard Brothers Sancerre Echoes - NEW
This first wine comes from the vines of their cousin Jean-Vincent Pinard in the village of Amigny which is located between Bué and Chavignol. The vineyard is worked organically (not yet certified). Vinification for this wine is similar to that of Florès, using their own natural yeast, ageing in large neutral wooden vats for 6 months, minimal sulphur during élevage (volcanic sulphur, handmade by the Pinards).

2023 Bottled without fining in April 2024 it shows great finesse and is deliciously approachable now with an intriguing note of tangerine and a hint of phenolics making for a beautifully structured Sancerre.

2025 Aromatics which call to mind leafy white flowers here, tinged with suggestions of chalk and tangerine. The palate feels softly formed and plump, with sweet and ripe fruit reminiscent of white peach and tangerine. It has a welcoming nature but little in the way of acidity, a reflection of this warmer vintage. Drink now. A cuvée from Clément and Florent Pinard, the fruit is sourced from three parcels in Bué, including some vines in Grand Chemarin, all on south-facing chalky slopes. It was vinified in wooden vats, and already bottled. The alcohol is about 14%, says Clément Pinard. 88/100.
Chris Kissack, winedoctor.com, June 2026.

Pinard Brothers Sancerre La Moussière
This parcel is managed by the Pinard brothers where they do the organic and bio-dynamic treatments themselves. The vineyard is certified organic and owned by a friend who worked with the Pinard brothers for some years. La Moussière is on Kimmeridgian soil not far from Bué. The vines are over 50 years old and enjoy a full-south exposition. Vinified with the Pinards own natural yeast and aged in large Tonnellerie Lacroix oak. This first vintage is due for bottling in October. To be released late 2024 and due in Australia in early 2025.

2025 An immediate change of tack here, the aromatics smoky and musky, a combination of lemon peel and crushed rocks. Dense and complete on the palate, this feels textural, sinewy and seamless through the midpalate, with a gorgeous sense of harmony and a long and substantial finish, freshened by nice acidity too. Promising. A sample tasted from 600-litre barrel, this is the third vintage from this terroir for the Pinard brothers, and is sourced from 50-year-old vines. The alcohol is about 14%, says Clément Pinard. 93-95/100 Chris Kissack, winedoctor.com, June 2026.

Pinard Brothers Sancerre Les Grands Champs
This parcel is also managed by the Pinard brothers where they do the organic and bio-dynamic treatments themselves. The vineyard is certified organic and owned by a friend who worked with the Pinard brothers for some years. Les Grands Champs is on Kimmeridgian soil and adjoins La Moussière. The vines are over 40 years old and enjoy a south to south-south-east exposure. Vinified with the Pinards own natural yeast and aged in Amphora, demi-muid and stainless steel vat. This first vintage is due for bottling around October. To be released late 2024 and due in Australia in early 2025.

The ‘Village’ (Estate) Wine

Sancerre Florès
2023 has produced a brilliant set of vibrant and concentrated wines at Vincent Pinard, and this is the flag-bearer which can be found in many of France’s 3 star restaurants, some of which have been pouring and listing it for 50 years or more. Which only serves to highlight the consistency of the domaine, from Vincent’s father’s tenure, right through Vincent’s and now on to that of his sons Florent and Clément. Fruit for Florès is selected from their younger vines (but now pushing 40 years old!) around Bué, all estate owned. The key vineyards are Emois, Vallons, Petit Chemarin, Le Bourg, Crépon, Dargente and Bois Brulés. From the 2020 vintage onward the wine is fermented in a minimum of 95 % large oak cask and 5 % stainless steel, as the brothers have progressively increased the use of large oak over the last several years. The result is a wine that is still crisp and racy in the classic Sancerre style, but also with more texture, depth and complexity than it had 10 years ago.

2023 ‘The 2023 Florés is a success in a challenging year. A rigorous green harvest might have been the defining factor - the Pinards green harvested as much as 35% of the crop to allow the vine to concentrate its efforts or the equivalent of 28hl/ha. The result is a greatly refreshing Sancerre with pear, pineapple and elderflower flavors. There's a hint of flesh tenderness and a supple character. An appealing chalk texture resides on the gently refreshing, ripe acid rather than a racy finish.’ 89 points, Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous, July 2024.

2025 ‘This is a much more lively proposition than the 2025 Echoes, tasted alongside, with a wealth of pithy citrus on the nose, with layers of bitter orange and peach. Supple and polished at the start of the palate, it combines this fresh and pithy nature with a rather plump substance, the whole supported by a phenolic grip. I like the brighter sense of acidity here, not to mention the good sense of bitterness. Lovely energy here. For drinking now. The domaine’s entry-level cuvée, this accounts for 30% of the Pinard family’s production. A blend from several sites, it was vinified in wooden vat, and it was bottled in May 2026. The alcohol is about 14%, says Clément Pinard. 90/100.’ 90 points, Chris Kissack, winedoctor.com, June 2026.

The ‘Premier Cru’

Sancerre Nuance - due spring 2026
From 40 year-old vines grown on Caillottes terroir (small stones over limestone) in Bué, selected from the vineyards of La Thibaude, Les Garennes and Les Grands Champs, Nuance is one of the domaine’s ‘Premier Cru’ wines. The fruit is hand picked, hand sorted and then whole-bunch pressed to tank for a cool, slow fermentation over about 4 weeks. The wine is aged on fine lees for 9 months in equal portions of stainless steel tanks, older barriques and demi-muids (600 L). This shows a big step up in texture and intensity, with a hint of smokiness on the nose and fine chalky minerality on the palate.

2025 ‘A fresh and chalky nose, with white flowers and orange peel notes. Supple and velvety on the palate, this remains fresh despite its textural qualities, thanks to a light vein of acidity. There is plenty of phenolic grip here, an indicator of the warm ripeness of the vintage. Nicely balanced overall, and drinking well now. This is a ‘communal’ wine, sourced from several parcels in Bué, the fruit from older vines, pressed and the juice vinified in wooden vat. It was bottled in May 2026. The alcohol is about 14%, says Clément Pinard. 91/100.’
91 points, Chris Kissack, winedoctor.com, June 2026.

The ‘Grand Crus’ (Single Vineyard Wines)

Sancerre Le Château
A new single vineyard cuvée since 2015. The lieu-dit of Le Château sits on a south facing slope above Bué and the domaine’s plot was planted in 1968 and 1972. Here the soil is Kimmeridgian marl (limestone and clay), which is a bit of a rarity in Bué, where most of the terroir is the more gravelly Oxfordian limestone. The fruit is hand-picked, hand-sorted and then whole-bunch pressed to 600 litre demi-muids for fermentation, followed by 9 months maturation on fine lees. A stunning wine of notable intensity and complexity which benefits from decanting and the finest stemware. Served blind this will challenge and more than compete in a line-up of fine white Burgundies. A very substantial wine with great energy and the structure to age effortlessly.
2022 “The 2022 Le Château is a finely poised style offering both tension and tenderness. Yes, the fruit is ripe with a lemon barley nature and elderflower, but it also retains a gentle freshness that's backed up by a fine, chalky line and rich structure. The 2022 is a relatively quiet wine and will come into its own as it progresses in bottle. A Sancerre that needs food.” 94 points, Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous Media, July 2024.

2025 ‘A very different aromatic expression here, with ripe fruit shifting slightly into the exotic, with layers of yellow peach and orange joined by nuances of lychee. Supple and velvety on the palate, this feels charming, broad and textural, with great polish and depth. Super substance here; I adore the finessed composition this presents even while it feels ripe to an exotic extreme. Sourced from 1 hectare of vines in this vineyard, planted on a south-facing slope of Kimmeridgian chalk well above Bué, vinified in (and tasted from) 600-litre barrels. The alcohol is about 14%, says Clément Pinard. 93-95/100.’ 93-95 points, Chris Kissack, winedoctor.com, June 2026.

Sancerre Grand Chemarin
2022 “A precise, salty white, the 2022 Grand Chemarin spends a year in demi-muids on lees. It has a rich, youthful plumpness and flesh that comes from the warm vintage and a creamy texture. Ripe peach flavors speak of a warmer location, but it's held in place by a fine belt of tension that the site's chalk can explain. It finishes with great momentum.”
93 points, Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous Media, July 2024.

2025 ‘This feels immediately classy on the nose, with white chalk notes. This precedes a vibrant and polished character on the palate, with crushed white chalk and white nectarine laced with a mineral edge and a lovely sense of acid freshness. Long and charged, this feels compact, dense and mineral. Just delicious. This is sourced from the family’s holdings in Grand Chemarin, which total 1 hectare of Sauvignon Blanc. Tasted from 600-litre barrel. The alcohol is about 14%, says Clément Pinard. 93-95/100.’
93-95 points, Chris Kissack, winedoctor.com, June 2026.

Sancerre Chêne Marchand
2021 “The 2021 Sancerre Chêne Marchand is a powerful, long-lived style with masses of concentration inside a mid-weight package. There is a ripeness of almost tropical fruit alongside nectarines and a touch of green gooseberry. A light creamy flavour joins the fruit. It is impressive structured and firm. This will go the distance. Drink 2023-2033.” 95 points, Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous Media, July 2023.

2022 “The 2022 Chêne Marchand is a richly fruited wine offering creamy notes and ripe peach fruit. While it's an opulent style for a Sancerre, it never becomes heavy, plus it has an almost tannic edge, providing a frame and reassuring structure that grips the palate, suggesting that this has longevity. There's a fine, briny character throughout. Having tasted the killer 1996 vintage a few minutes afterward, you can be sure this wine has a long life ahead.” 93 points, Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous Media, July 2024.

2025 ‘Aromatically this is distinctively different to the other Vincent Pinard cuvées in the same vintage, opening with hints of sour apple, which yield to white peach and white pepper. The palate feels textural, indeed rather plush, and it is filled with a multitude of exotic fruit elements, and while it lacks an incisive acid cut there is a sense of charged drive here, leading to a deliciously long finish. An impressive Chêne Marchand, with a little more vigour than some other wines of the 2025 vintage. From 1.5 hectares of vines in this famed lieu-dit, on Oxfordian chalk, the juice vinified in 600-litre barrels. The alcohol is about 14%, says Clément Pinard. 94-96/100.’ 94-96 points, Chris Kissack, winedoctor.com, June 2026.

Sancerre rouge (100% Pinot Noir)

While Sancerre has gained fame and notority for its classic fine Sauvignon Blancs for the last 80-100 years, Pinot Noir has always been found and nurtured in these cool chalky hills providing ideal conditions for wonderfully fragrant fine and complex Pinot Noir that are increasingly being grown made and matured in a similar manner to top red Burgundies.
Vincent Pinard has always been amongst the best Pinot Noir producers of this region and has a cult like following for these among top sommeliers in the very best restaurants in France. As a result these are usually only found on the best wines lists of the best restaruants throughout France as quantities are quite limited and demand within France is very strong for these wines.
Recent years has seen the introduction of whole bunch into ferments bringing even more finesse and structure to the seriously fine reds which the brothers have been developing ovcer the last 2 decades working closely with friends in some of Burgundies top estates in the Cotes de Nuits.

Sancerre rouge
2025 A rather restrained nose here, one which precedes a palate of sweet, bright and primary fruit, presented in a fresh and textural body. Gently built, it shows a mineral note through the middle, and seems eminently firmer and more classic than the Echoes cuvée in the same vintage. It finishes with a mineral and saline persistence. A sample tasted from a Cavin barrel. The alcohol is about 13.5%, says Clément Pinard. 90-92/100, Chris Kissack, winedoctor.com, June 2026.

Sancerre rouge Charlouise
2025 The first sample, from a Berthomieu barrel, is all chocolate, cherry and violets on the nose. Textured with silk and sinew on the palate, a complete wine with some grip, from dense, svelte tannins. A mineral twist too. This has been treated with volcanic sulphites. The second sample, from an Ermitage barrel, is more restrained, still filled with chocolate notes but here intertwined with minerals. Tense with more backbone on the palate, dark and floral, with purity. No added sulphites here, at the moment. An appropriate note of caution on my score here in view of the embryonic nature of the wine. A tasting from two barrels, the alcohol is about 13.5%, says Clément Pinard. 92-94?/100. Chris Kissack, winedoctor.com, June 2026.

Sancerre rouge Vendanges Entiere
2025 The first sample is from an Atelier Centre France barrel, and it shows dark, mineral and chalky, with crushed stone and currant. Tense and correct on the palate, this is polished and finessed through the middle, with charm and plenty of fine energy. A gentle grip with a minerally twist. The second is from a new Berthomieu barrel, and it shows; the nose is all sweetly caramelised oak, the palate is the same. Hopefully this will all disappear within the blend. An appropriate note of caution on my score here in view of the embryonic nature of the wine. The alcohol is about 13%, says Clément Pinard. 92-94?/100. 92-94?/100. Chris Kissack, winedoctor.com, June 2026.

Sancerre rouge cuvee Narpi
2022 There was no Narpi in 2021 nor Pinot Noir Vendange Entière, so this is a welcome return for Pinot Noir in 2022. It's a silken, caressing style with excellent chalkiness infusing its core. It's rich in fruit and offers ripe concentration with tannins. Very gently handled: gravity-fed with no pumping, fining or filtration. That's reflected in the delicacy and gentle texture. Pure red cherry fruit and delicate spices linger on the long finish. Swoon. 93 points, Vinous Media, Rebecca Gibb MW, July 2024