Domaine Daniel Chotard

Reigny sits at the southeastern edge of the Sancerre appellation, on the slopes that fall toward the Loire below the historic town of Sancerre itself. The Chotard family has worked vines in the village across multiple generations, and Daniel Chotard built the modern estate in the late twentieth century into one of Reigny's reference producers. The village sits a step outside the most celebrated lieux-dits of Bué and Chavignol but holds its own limestone slopes that give clean, mineral expressions of Sauvignon Blanc, alongside red-friendly soils for serious Pinot Noir. Crézancy-en-Sancerre, adjacent to Reigny, contributes additional holdings.

• Reigny sits on the southeastern edge of the Sancerre AOC, below the historic town of Sancerre
• Chotard family has worked vines in the village across multiple generations
• Daniel Chotard built the modern estate into a Reigny reference producer
• Village sits a step outside the most celebrated lieux-dits but holds its own limestone slopes and red-friendly soils

Daniel Chotard built the modern estate and remains involved in the operation, while his son Simon has taken over the current generation of viticulture and cellar work. The handover has been gradual rather than a single break, in the pattern that defines most Sancerre family estates. Simon's approach has kept the estate's traditional Reigny mainstream position while pushing for longer lees on the upper whites and more careful work in the vineyard, including a steady move toward sustainable and organic-leaning farming on parts of the holdings. The family-scale ethos and tight commercial network (French restaurant trade and European importers) have stayed in place.

• Daniel Chotard built the modern estate; son Simon has taken over the current generation of viticulture and cellar work
• Gradual handover in the pattern of most Sancerre family estates
• Simon has kept the traditional Reigny mainstream position while pushing for longer lees and more careful vineyard work
• Move toward sustainable and organic-leaning farming on parts of the vineyard

The estate covers approximately fourteen hectares of vines spread across Reigny and the adjacent commune of Crézancy-en-Sancerre. The vineyards span the three classic Sancerre soils: caillottes (small Oxfordian limestone pebbles around the village), terres blanches (Kimmeridgian marl on the upper slopes), and silex (clay with embedded flint toward the Loire). The Pinot Noir is planted on limestone parcels with deeper clay content, which gives a more weighty, savory red than the bright-cherry style of the appellation's red-clay sites. The diversity of soils within a relatively small holding gives the estate the parcellary breadth that the upper cuvées draw on.

• Approximately fourteen hectares across Reigny and the adjacent commune of Crézancy-en-Sancerre
• Caillottes (Oxfordian limestone) around the village for early-aromatic profiles
• Terres blanches (Kimmeridgian marl) on the upper slopes for structure and saline minerality
• Silex (flint-clay) toward the Loire for smoky, gunflint character

The portfolio is anchored by the village Sancerre Blanc, a stainless-steel cuvée drawing from the broader soil mix and aimed at clean, mineral early drinking. Le Pierrier is the single-vineyard white showpiece, from limestone parcels with longer lees and partial barrel. A Réserve cuvée from older vines on the better limestone parcels sits between the two on the white side. The Sancerre Rouge is the village Pinot Noir, vinified in stainless steel and used wood. A single-vineyard or old-vine red bottling is raised in used wood for longer than the village rouge, with a more savory, structured profile. A small rosé from direct press completes the line.

• Village Sancerre Blanc from the broader soil mix, vinified in stainless steel for clean, mineral early drinking
• Le Pierrier is the single-vineyard white showpiece, with longer lees and partial barrel
• Réserve cuvée from older vines bridges the village Sancerre Blanc and Le Pierrier on the white side
• Pinot Noir reds: village Sancerre Rouge plus single-vineyard or old-vine bottling raised in used wood for longer

Daniel Chotard sits in the traditionalist mainstream of the Reigny/Crézancy axis, distinct from the modern parcellary single-vineyard work of Bué (Pinard, François Crochet) and Chavignol (Boulay, the Cotats). The estate is one of the references for the southeastern slope of Sancerre, where the limestone and silex parcels give a more red-friendly profile than the western Kimmeridgian belt. The serious Pinot Noir work is the calling card, with the upper reds among the more savory, structured Sancerre rouges in the appellation. For buyers and students, the estate is a useful study of the appellation's southeastern slope and of the broader Reigny/Crézancy style sitting outside the celebrated four-village core.

• Traditionalist Reigny/Crézancy reference, distinct from modern parcellary Bué and Chavignol
• Anchors the southeastern slope of Sancerre, where limestone and silex parcels give a more red-friendly profile
• Serious Pinot Noir work is the calling card, with the upper reds among Sancerre's more savory rouges
• Useful study for buyers and students of the appellation's southeastern slope outside the celebrated four-village core