The Girards have an impeccable cuverie and vinify with modern technology. Their Sancerre is everything one hopes for when thinking about the region: it is bright, lively, pleasantly aromatic, has zippy acidity but low astringency. It is a wonderful food wine. 100% Sauvignon Blanc. "La Garenne" was named for the original 2.5-hectare plot from which it came. Today, the name remains while the fruit may come from across the fifth-generation Girards' 14 hectares of vines, which are spread over slopes in five communes including Verdigny and Saint Satur and which include three distinct terroirs: gravel soils (caillottes), flint (silex) and heavy clay (grosses terres). The Girards farm sustainably and harvest the steepest slopes by hand and the flatter sites by machine. Parcels are vinified separately--fermented with native yeasts in steel tank--then aged in tank and blended (the US only sees "La Garenne").