Okay, it’s time to clear something up, I like Sancerre, in fact I love it but while it will always be Sauvignon Blancs spiritual home, New Zealand is it’s new landlord. The latter took the grape, dusted off the chalky edges, added some tropical fruits and made it appeal to the yoof of today. As a result, a lot of people, myself included, moved away from the old lady of France when we wanted our Sauvignon hit but perhaps therein lies our error.
Sancerres grape ingredient is indeed Sauvignon, but there's so much more to it than the vine. In the 80’s, the French started to talk a lot about Terroir to explain why their wines were unique and we all sniggered. It’s just their way of talking the price up and trying to defend their traditional industry we all said, but the truth is, they were right!
Sancerre, like Chablis has a chalky sub strata that imparts a unique mineral element to the palate and just like in Chablis, if the winemaker doesn't get the most out of the fruit, the terroir takes over and you end up with an austere wine that tastes like your added polyfilla to it.
Thankfully there are far more decent wines coming from Sancerre than the rough ones and there are one or two truly world class wines, such as those produced by Dagueneau. The latter produces Sancerres of such depth and complexity that my brain needed a special moment to just to register all the nuances.
So, what should you be looking for in a good Sancerre? It’s simple really, as a meerkat might say; A strong gooseberry perfume, a crisp mineral dominated palate with a hint of lime and a refreshing acidic finish that could strip the paint off your car. Enjoy!
Sancerre Domaine Tissier 2018
A fabulous nose of trampled gooseberries with a classic Sancerre palate of cool fruits, minerality and acidity. There's a whiff of toast on the finish that just completes this gorgeous wine.
Corney & Barrow £18.95
Domaine Michel Thomas, Sancerre
An aromatic nose leads you seductively into a crisp refreshing palate of limes and tropical fruits. It’s cleaner and lighter than many Sancerres and a good rival for New Zealand Sauvignons. Try this with grilled prawns.
Laithwaites Wines £17.99
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