Quincy

Grower Profiles

Domaine Sylvain Bailly

The Bailly family have been vignerons in Bué since at least 1700. This particular branch was established in the 1950s by Sylvain, who raised his wines in 100 and 200 litre fûts and found a market for them in the bars and restaurants of Paris and the Berry. His son and current incumbent, Jacques, joined his father in 1977 and took overall control in 1991. Unable to expand his father’s 12 hectare domaine any further, like many other Sancerrois, he began to consider his options outside of the appellation.

It was Jacques friendship with Jean-Claude Roux that opened up the possibility of investing in a few rows in La Pointe following the demise of Domaine Maison Blanche. With this came the opportunity to buy a share in the Maison Blanche cellar, which was set to become part of the newly established Cave Romain. This was in 1995. Four years later, Jacques bought two further parcels in La Vallée Major and Les Crèves Coeurs, and completed his holdings in 2005 with the purchase of land in Les Brosses. There are now a total of six hectares planted over seven different parcels.

The wines continue to be produced and bottled at the Maison Blanche in Quincy, although all the labeling, sales and marketing is handled back in Bué. There are three different expressions of Quincy produced. The first, Beaucharme, is the name of the original 1995 release; Les Grands Coeurs corresponds to the lieu-dit of Les Crèves Coeurs and was launched in 2001, whilst the cuvée La Croix Saint-Ursin is a more generic blend.

In 2007, Jacques was joined by his capable daughter, Sonia, who now takes care of all the commercial aspects of the business. Over 80% of their overall production is exported, although the figures for Quincy show that this is more likely to be sold on the local market.

My experience of tasting the 2008 and 2009 vintages (in June 2010) was that these are very good wines and a true representation of the appellation.

Domaine Sylvain Bailly
Jacques Bailly
La Croix Saint-Ursin
71 rue de Venoize
Bué
T: + 33 2 48 54 02 75
F: + 33 2 48 54 28 41
Domaine.sylvain.bailly@orange.fr

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