Delivery from €16,90 per winemaker in Europe (excluding the United Kingdom)
Domaine Eric Louis
Éric Louis in Thauvenay: organic Sancerre and Quincy, Sauvignon Blanc on flint, direct from the Loire estate...
Lire plus
Discover Domaine Eric Louis in photos
Domaine Eric Louis - a Sancerre winegrower since 1890, four generations by the Loire
Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé, Menetou-Salon, Quincy, Reuilly, Châteaumeillant - Centre-Loire
Domaine Eric Louis, "Les Celliers de la Pauline", is a family estate in the south-east of the Sancerre appellation, handed down over four generations since 1890. Sauvignon blanc and pinot noir are grown here on a mosaic of flint, limestone and clay-limestone terroirs; the Sancerre and Quincy vines are certified organic.
It all started with a woman, Pauline, who planted the first vines at the end of the 19th century and left her name to the estate. Four generations later, Eric Louis farms some forty hectares in the south-east of Sancerre, on the hillsides born of the Thauvenay fault, and beyond, as far as Quincy. Kimmeridgian white marls, caillottes limestone and flint each give a different sauvignon; pinot noir signs the rosés and reds. A house that combines today's standards with inherited know-how, to discover direct on Avenue des Vins.
From Pauline to Eric Louis: four generations of Sancerre growers
The estate's story begins at the end of the 19th century with a forebear, Pauline, who gives the property its name, "Les Celliers de la Pauline", and, much later, one of the house's most singular cuvées. For decades, the vine is only one crop among others on a farm still turned towards mixed farming.
The turning point comes in the 1980s. Eric's parents, Ginette and Léon, choose to stake everything on wine and give up the other crops. It is they who firmly plant the family name in the landscape of the appellation, just as Sancerre's fame is taking off.
Eric Louis today represents the fourth generation. Rooted in the south-east of the appellation, he has extended the estate well beyond the bounds of the Sancerrois: since the 2000s, the house has spread to the other appellations of the Centre-Loire, while keeping the course set by his forebears, precise, recognisable terroir wines.
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
A terroir of flint, caillottes and white marls
The heart of the estate lies in the south-east of the Sancerre appellation, on the hillsides drawn by the Thauvenay geological fault, a stone's throw from the Loire. The vines are spread mainly over the villages of Thauvenay, Ménétréol-sous-Sancerre and Vinon, across some sixty plots. This fragmentation is no accident: it makes it possible to harvest each soil type separately and then to compose either single-terroir wines or blends.
The vineyard also benefits from a microclimate tempered by the river. Beyond the Sancerrois, about ten hectares flourish in Quincy, on the left bank of the Cher, where the grape finds a quite different expression. This diversity of soils is the house's true signature: each terroir gives the sauvignon and the pinot noir an aromatic profile of its own.
White marls (Kimmeridgian) - Ample, full-bodied, complex wines with fine ageing potential
Caillottes (limestone) - Fine, fruity, expressive wines from their youth
Clay-siliceous soils (flint) - Nervy wines, with spicy and mineral gunflint notes
Thauvenay fault, banks of the Loire - Exposed hillsides, microclimate tempered by the river
The south-east of Sancerre in organic farming
The estate farms its Sancerre vineyard under organic agriculture: the Sancerre and Quincy vines are certified organic. This approach, governed by a public, audited set of rules, rules out herbicides and synthetic products in favour of soil work and natural solutions. It is a deep commitment, on a vineyard already fragmented and demanding to work.
In the cellar, the house embraces an approach that marries modern precision with inherited know-how: night harvesting to preserve the freshness of the grapes, settling under nitrogen, gentle pneumatic pressing, fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks. Part of the wines then matures on fine lees, in tank or in French oak barrels (Tronçais, Bertranges), and the whites are protected under nitrogen until bottling. The constant aim: to keep the fruit, the freshness and the legibility of the terroir.
The wines of Domaine Eric Louis
The range covers most of the great Centre-Loire appellations, from the Sancerre that made the house's name to its neighbours Quincy, Pouilly-Fumé, Menetou-Salon, Reuilly and Châteaumeillant. The vintages and cuvées on offer change with the harvests: find those available on the estate's page.
Sancerre "Pauline"
Sancerre white · Sauvignon blanc · Aged in acacia barrels · The signature cuvée
The cuvée that bears the name of the founding forebear, and a rarity in Sancerre: a sauvignon blanc aged in acacia barrels rather than oak. Acacia wood respects the freshness and citrus of the grape while bringing volume and a silky texture, without marking the wine with woody notes. An original, generous expression of Sancerre sauvignon.
Sancerre Blanc
Sancerre white · Sauvignon blanc · Certified-organic vines
The house classic, and the ideal way into the estate's style. Depending on the terroir, caillottes, white marls or flint, the sauvignon plays in turn the freshness of citrus and white flowers, the amplitude, or the gunflint minerality. A dry, lively, clean white, perfect with seafood, fish and the goat's cheeses of the Centre-Loire (crottin de Chavignol).
Sancerre Rosé & Sancerre Rouge
Sancerre rosé and red · Pinot noir · Certified-organic vines
It is often forgotten that Sancerre is also a land of pinot noir. The rosé, dry and delicate, plays on small red fruits and freshness; the red, lighter and more digestible than its Burgundian cousins, offers a crunchy fruit of cherry and red berries. Two faces of Sancerre pinot noir, at the table as at the aperitif.
Quincy
Quincy white · Sauvignon blanc · Certified-organic vines
About ten hectares on the left bank of the Cher, for another reading of sauvignon blanc. On this sandier terroir, the grape gains in roundness and generosity while keeping its liveliness: a dry, fruity white, ideal as an aperitif and with starters, often more approachable than its Sancerre neighbour.
The rest of the Centre-Loire
Pouilly-Fumé · Menetou-Salon · Reuilly · Châteaumeillant
Since the 2000s, the house has broadened its collection along the Loire and its tributaries. Pouilly-Fumé, the sauvignon from the other bank of the river, marked by flint; Menetou-Salon, a more confidential cousin of Sancerre in white as in red; Reuilly and Châteaumeillant complete this tour of the Centre-Loire appellations. The available selection varies with the arrivals.
Sancerre · Centre-Loire · Certified-organic vines · Careful delivery across France and Europe
Why choose the wines of Domaine Eric Louis
Four generations of Sancerre know-how. From Pauline in 1890 to Eric Louis, the same family has farmed the hillsides of south-east Sancerre: a rare continuity, read in the consistency and precision of the wines.
A vineyard in organic farming. The Sancerre and Quincy vines are certified organic: a concrete environmental commitment on a vineyard split into some sixty plots.
The whole palette of the Centre-Loire. Sancerre in white, rosé and red, but also Quincy, Pouilly-Fumé, Menetou-Salon, Reuilly and Châteaumeillant: one house to explore sauvignon and pinot noir across a mosaic of terroirs.
A cuvée found only here. Sancerre "Pauline", a sauvignon aged in acacia barrels, is an original signature, a direct legacy of the founding forebear.
Direct from the grower. Avenue des Vins gives you access to the estate's wines without needless intermediaries, with careful delivery across France and Europe.
Frequently asked questions about Domaine Eric Louis
Where is Domaine Eric Louis located?
The estate lies in the south-east of the Sancerre appellation, in the Centre-Loire (Cher), on the banks of the Loire. Its Sancerre vines are spread mainly over the villages of Thauvenay, Ménétréol-sous-Sancerre and Vinon, on the hillsides born of the Thauvenay geological fault. The estate also farms about ten hectares in the Quincy appellation.
Who is the winegrower and how long has the family made wine?
The estate is run by Eric Louis, the fourth generation of a family of Sancerre growers. It was founded at the end of the 19th century (around 1890) by the forebear Pauline. Eric's parents, Ginette and Léon, turned the farm entirely towards wine-growing in the 1980s.
Which appellations does Domaine Eric Louis produce?
The core of production is Sancerre, in white, rosé and red. Since the 2000s, the estate has expanded to the other Centre-Loire appellations: Quincy, Pouilly-Fumé, Menetou-Salon, Reuilly and Châteaumeillant. The selection on offer changes with the vintages and the arrivals.
Which grapes are grown?
Two grapes, the emblems of the Centre-Loire: sauvignon blanc, which gives all the white wines (Sancerre, Quincy, Pouilly-Fumé…), and pinot noir, which signs the Sancerre rosés and reds. They are grown on a mosaic of flint, limestone and clay-limestone terroirs.
Are the wines of Domaine Eric Louis organic?
The Sancerre and Quincy vines are certified organic: the estate farms its Sancerre vineyard under organic agriculture. This public, audited certification rules out herbicides and synthetic treatments. For the other Centre-Loire appellations, check each cuvée's page, where the organic mention is shown when it applies.
What is the difference between white marls, caillottes and flint?
These are the three great soil types of Sancerre. White marls (Kimmeridgian) give ample, full-bodied wines for ageing. Caillottes (limestone) give fine, fruity wines that are expressive when young. Clay-siliceous soils (flint) give nervy wines with gunflint notes. The estate vinifies these terroirs separately, to play on their typicity or their blending.
What is the Sancerre "Pauline" cuvée?
It is the estate's signature cuvée, which bears the name of the founding forebear. This Sancerre white from sauvignon has the distinction of being aged in acacia barrels, a wood rare in cellars that brings volume and a silky texture without marking the wine with a woody taste, while preserving the freshness and citrus of the grape. An original expression, almost unique in Sancerre.
Which dishes go with a Sancerre from the estate?
Sancerre white is an ideal partner for seafood, fish, shellfish and above all the region's goat's cheeses, such as crottin de Chavignol. Sancerre rosé accompanies the aperitif and summer cooking; Sancerre red, light and fruity, pairs with poultry, fine charcuterie and white meats.
At what temperature to serve these wines and how long to keep them?
Serve the whites and the rosé chilled, between 8 and 10 °C, and the Sancerre red lightly cooled, around 14 to 15 °C. Most whites and rosés are enjoyed on their freshness, within two to three years; the cuvées from white marls, more ample, and the acacia-aged Sancerre "Pauline" can be kept longer. Store the bottles lying down, away from light.
Which wine from the estate to give as a gift?
For a gift, Sancerre "Pauline" is the most striking choice: its rarity (a sauvignon aged in acacia barrels) and its family story make it a bottle that tells something. To introduce someone to the estate, a classic Sancerre white remains a safe choice; to surprise, a Sancerre red from pinot noir or a Quincy step off the beaten track.
Where to buy the wines of Domaine Eric Louis direct?
The wines of Domaine Eric Louis are available on Avenue des Vins, in a short supply chain: the bottles come from the estate, with no needless intermediary, and are shipped to France as well as to the European countries eligible for delivery. On the estate's page you will find the appellations and vintages currently on offer.
Sancerre, Quincy, Pouilly-Fumé, Menetou-Salon - direct from the grower
Domaine Eric Louis - "Les Celliers de la Pauline", winegrowers in Sancerre since 1890, four generations in the south-east of the appellation. Sancerre and Quincy vines certified organic.
Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé, Menetou-Salon, Quincy, Reuilly, Châteaumeillant - sauvignon blanc and pinot noir - direct from the grower on Avenue des Vins.