Domaine Fouassier have a simple mission: to protect the land for future generations while making the best Sancerre wines possible.
Each member of the Fouassier family has learned the ropes from the previous generation, but has been allowed the freedom to put their own stamp on the wines. Current winemaking team, Benoit and Paul, have propelled the domaine towards organic and biodynamic viticulture, despite the difficulties of doing so in the damp Sancerre climate. In this way, they are committed to passing on the land in the best condition possible, while showing off a true expression of their terroir in the wines.
And the wines are great. The whites are exceptionally bright and delicately balanced, with those signature notes of pear and lemon that are so quintessentially ‘Fouassier’. And for a refreshing, chillable (and oh-so-on-trend) red, you couldn’t do much better than their Iconoclast Pinot Noir. A fascinatingly light wine that’s refreshing, versatile and packed with plenty of fresh berries, including pleasantly sour cherries
A little bit of history
The Fouassier family has been present in the Sancerre appellation for many generations and is one of the oldest wine growing families in Sancerre.
At the time of phylloxera, Jules Fouassier was one of 500 wine growers in the village of Sancerre (there are currently just ten or so of us). After the phylloxera crisis, Jules Fouassier planted the Clos Paradis, in 1902. He revolutionised the vineyards by planting this 1.2 m2 parcel using a trellising system that survives to this day (1 acacia stake to every 5 vines and three iron wires).
Contrary to popular belief, wine growers used to use donkeys to work the vineyards as some of the smaller parcels were planted at just 0.80 metres between the rows. Jules, a pioneer in many areas, was one of the first to use copper and sulphur to protect the vine from mildew and powdery mildew.
After the Great War, Jules sent his son Gustave (nicknamed Tav’) on an apprenticeship to learn the cooperage and winemaking trades. At the time he paid 800 French gold francs for the apprenticeship.
In 1923 Gustave took part in the Concours Agricole de Paris with some of his fellow wine producers. The wines of Sancerre were unknown in this era, but they received a positive reception. The reputation of this little-known wine would soon grow.
In the mid-1930’s, Gustave’s son, Raymond, began working in the vineyards at the tender age of 13 as his father had fallen seriously ill.
In 1958, Raymond Fouassier purchased the Sancerre appellation’s first Bobard straddle tractor. He continued to purchase more mechanical equipment and sold ‘Bijoux’, the last of his Percheron draught horses, in 1959.
