Sancerre
Sancerre is a famous white Sauvignon Blanc appellation located on the left bank of the Loire. Its 14 communes are widely dispersed, covering nearly 3,000 hectares over vertiginous valleys at up to 350 metres above sea level, and three distinct soil types. As with nearby Pouilly-Fumé, an increasing number of single-vineyard wines are being raised in French oak, mostly 500-litre and demi-muids.
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Drink now,
We’ve been hugely impressed by Alban Roblin since he joined our roster of suppliers in 2018. His Sancerre Blanc stands out for its pronounced floral character, which Alban attributes to the high proportion of terres blanches soil on his 12-hectare domaine. The finish, redolent of preserved lemons, is long and moreish. Drink now to 2021.
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (spring 2019)
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (spring 2019)
Domaine de la Rossignole,
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This wine’s subtle peachy aroma hints at 2018’s warm growing season, but brothers François and Jean-Marie upped the proportion of fruit from flinty soils to ensure this blend remains fresh and mineral on the palate. A versatile food wine, it works well with anything from asparagus risotto to Thai fish cakes. Drink now to 2022.
Will Heslop, Buying Assistant (summer 2019)
Will Heslop, Buying Assistant (summer 2019)
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Sancerre rosé from a quality producer like David Sautereau is a delightful, versatile wine that combines complexity with a sense of insouciance. David’s 2017 is a case in point. It’s characterised by floral and red berry aromas, fine tannins and “crunchy” acidity. A natural accompaniment to salads or poached salmon, it has sufficient personality to stand up to richer dishes too, such as Moroccan lamb tagine. Drink now to 2022.
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (spring 2019)
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (spring 2019)
Domaine Thierry Merlin-Cherrier,
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Thierry bottled his ’17 a little later than usual – in December ’18 – but this remains tightly wound, and may take a year or two to reach its apogee. For the time being, on the nose, varietal character plays second fiddle to the beguiling “marine” aromas we associate, primarily, with Chablis – just a (lime)stone’s throw away. A wine of real class and complexity, which unfurls regally in the glass, and will continue to do so in the bottle over the next five years. Drink now to 2024.
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (spring 2019)
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (spring 2019)
Andre Dezat,
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The Dezat family have long been standard-bearers for Sancerre, and this wine illustrates precisely why. Ebullient yet terroir-driven, its complex bouquet combines tropical fruit with classic citrus and herbaceous aromas. The 2018 was blended from parcels on three different soil types – primarily the pebbly limestone known here as caillottes – then spent two months on its lees (in stainless steel tanks) gaining complexity and texture prior to bottling in spring 2019. Drink now to 2022.
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (summer 2019)
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (summer 2019)
Simon & Daniel Chotard,
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This is an exemplary Sancerre, raised in a combination of stainless steel and large oak foudres, which add breadth to the palate but no discernible oaky aromas – indeed, the nose is a paean to Sauvignon Blanc, with aromas including grass, gooseberry and passionfruit. There’s a slight smoky character to the long, fresh finish. A memorable match for warm goats’ cheese.
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant, summer 2018.
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant, summer 2018.
Simon & Daniel Chotard,
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Their delicious rosé is the one wine from Domaine Chotard that’s raised exclusively in stainless steel. The aim is to capture the floral lift and red-berry crunch inherent in Pinot Noir grown on the pebbly limestone soil known here as griottes. Expect aromas of rose petals and tinned strawberries, while the palate – for all its lively acidity – is a touch weightier than expected, with ripe red fruit flavours indicative of 2018’s warm growing season. A versatile food wine, this works particularly well with grilled salmon. Drink now to 2020.
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (summer 2019)
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (summer 2019)
Simon & Daniel Chotard,
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Grapes from three parcels on three different soil types are vinified separately, then blended to create this exemplary Sancerre. It’s characterised by an herbaceous edge and shimmering acidity, even in a warm vintage like 2018. A small proportion of the blend is raised in acacia barrels, another in large oak foudres and the remainder (over 80%) in stainless steel tanks. The resulting wine delivers a rounded, stone-fruit character on the mid-palate, followed by a refreshing wave of citrus, which crashes then slowly retreats across the palate, giving way to a long, saline finish. Drink now to 2024.
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (autumn 2019)
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (autumn 2019)
Domaine Riffault,
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Expressive and voluptuous, with aromas of orchard fruit and lemon confit, Les Boucauds is raised in a judicious combination of oak (70% of the blend) and concrete. Open and up-front it may be, but this cuvée shows remarkable persistence on the palate, culminating in the mineral “wet stone” finish characteristic of the best wines of Sancerre. Already certified organic, Stéphane began farming Les Boucauds biodynamically in 2018. Drink now to 2023.
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (summer 2019)
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (summer 2019)
Domaine Riffault,
Ready, but will keep,
This cuvée was one of the highlights of my springtime trip to the Loire with Buyer Adam Bruntlett. Stéphane used to de-stem the grapes (he has 2.3 hectares of Pinot in the Noue vineyard) but found the wine too chewy, so now makes it with whole bunches, accounting for the 2017’s delightful floral and crushed strawberry aromas. The palate is light to medium-bodied, with racy acidity and supple – rather than chewy – tannins. Bravo Stéphane! Drink now to 2023.
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (summer 2019)
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (summer 2019)
Domaine Riffault,
Ready, but will keep,
Chasseignes is a cooler, more (lime)stoney site than Boucauds, giving a more focused, mineral wine which Stéphane chooses to age in large oak foudres and 350-litre barrels. The nose is complex, with aromas of spice, white flowers and lemon, while the palate is pithy, almost tannic, and segues into a long, refreshing finish redolent of lemon and quinine. What a match for oysters this would be! Drink now to 2023.
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (summer 2019)
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (summer 2019)
Simon & Daniel Chotard,
Ready, but will keep,
This exquisite Sancerre hails from two parcels – both on Kimmeridgian marl – planted by Daniel’s grandfather (Marcel) and great-uncle (Henri). The old vines here give rise to a complex, concentrated wine, which is aged for 18 months in a combination of foudres and steel tanks. The ’15 has opened up nicely, with a hint of passionfruit on the nose indicative of 2015’s sun-kissed growing season. It’s lost none of its energy though, and tightens up on the mid-palate, as that shimmering acidity – a hallmark of the cuvée year in, year out – kicks in. The finish is saline and exceptionally long. Drink now to 2023.
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (August 2019)
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (August 2019)
Domaine Thierry Merlin-Cherrier,
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Thierry’s Chêne Marchand is one of the standout wines of the appellation. Its tropical fruit aromas speak of the vineyard’s southerly aspect, but there’s not an ounce of flab to the palate which majors on ripe white fruit, wrapped around a steely, mineral core. Raised exclusively in stainless steel, it’s a wine that needs time, both in tank – Thierry bottles it after his other whites – and in bottle. Expect it to age gracefully for up to a decade, gaining texture as well as complexity. Drink now to 2026.
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (summer 2019)
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (summer 2019)
Domaine Francois Cotat, Chavignol,
Ready, but will keep,
Picked from Francois Cotat's youngest vines, from 5 years upwards, still within the confines of the village of Chavignol if on slightly flatter ground. The net result is a Francois Cotat wine that can be lapped up if its youth. As you would expect, the wine shows impeccable manners, along with a crystalline purity, freshness and scintillating detail. Perfect as an aperitif or with starters.
David Berry Green
David Berry Green
Domaine Francois Cotat, Chavignol,
Ready, but will keep,
Richer, ‘bigger’ nose than Les Caillottes Anise/fennel. A step up in concentration. Excellent balance of acidity and fruit. Mineral, with outstanding potential. Still a little closed but excellent length. Very little sugar, less than 3g/l. Most immediately appealing of the selection.
Adam Bruntlett
Francois’s Monts Damnés is clearly the best example of this famous Sancerre Cru! Faithful to the nervy vintage, this wine is cool, compact, a taut, tightly coiled core of briny minerality, such tension, his use of old oak in vinification giving this wine a spectacular Island malt saltiness, very succinct, needs time, plenty of time, drinking from 2015 to 2025.
David Berry Green
Adam Bruntlett
Francois’s Monts Damnés is clearly the best example of this famous Sancerre Cru! Faithful to the nervy vintage, this wine is cool, compact, a taut, tightly coiled core of briny minerality, such tension, his use of old oak in vinification giving this wine a spectacular Island malt saltiness, very succinct, needs time, plenty of time, drinking from 2015 to 2025.
David Berry Green
Adam Bruntlett, Wine Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd