{"id":6984,"date":"2024-02-19T09:00:25","date_gmt":"2024-02-19T14:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/?p=6984"},"modified":"2024-02-16T11:59:38","modified_gmt":"2024-02-16T16:59:38","slug":"the-upper-loires-best-sancerre","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/the-upper-loires-best-sancerre\/","title":{"rendered":"The Upper Loire’s Best: Sancerre"},"content":{"rendered":"

Following France’s longest river, the Loire, east from the Atlantic coast through the maritime conditions of Nantes to Saumur, then Tours, and finally Sancerre, a shift toward a cooler continental climate occurs. The various appellations along the way, connected by this French wine region’s defining body of water and its tributaries, contain a diverse collection of grape varieties and winemaking styles well worth exploring.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Within the upper Loire sub-region, also called the Central Vineyards, Sancerre represents the benchmark for French red wine, white wine, and ros\u00e9 bottlings produced from two grapes: Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. For many lovers of Sauvignon Blanc especially, Sancerre epitomizes the ultimate reflection of the French white wine.<\/span><\/p>\n

Before jumping into the history of this French wine region, we wanted to share a secret about some of the Loire Valley’s best wines: you can often find them available for purchase on <\/span>WTSO’s Last Chance page<\/span><\/a>. Here, you can find customer favorites that you may have missed during their initial flash sale. <\/span>WTSO’s Last Chance Wines<\/span><\/a> offer a wide selection of bottles with limited qualities – all at extreme discounts.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sancerre’s Modern History and Wines<\/b><\/h2>\n

Before the second half of the 20th century, Sancerre winemakers concentrated mainly on red wines. Between the 1960s and 2012, the region’s total acreage increased from 1,730 to well over 7,000 acres thanks to growing interest in Sauvignon Blanc-based white wines during the 1970s, culminating with the style becoming a standard restaurant offering worldwide. Sancerre’s wide popularity and commercial success today is attributed to this demand for food-friendly French white wines.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ranking among the best French wines, Sancerre Blanc delivers a freshly aromatic, crisp style marked by citrus, gooseberry, grass, and mineral notes. However, stone fruit, tropical fruit, and floral characteristics may appear in the wines of warmer vintages.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sancerre Rouge wines made solely from Pinot Noir represent about 20% of the appellation’s total production and tend to display high-toned red fruit and a lighter, earthier style compared to many of Burgundy’s versions. Also composed entirely of Pinot Noir, Sancerre Ros\u00e9 bottlings typically showcase bright berry, citrus, and floral aromas complemented by refreshing acidity, making this French ros\u00e9 wine another versatile pairing option.<\/span><\/p>\n

Terroir & Viticulture<\/b><\/h2>\n

The viticultural potential within Sancerre was recognized during Roman times, with the variable terroir found in the area eventually gaining plantings primarily to Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. Steeply sloped hillside vineyards 200 to 400 meters in elevation are a defining characteristic of this French wine region’s landscape, the most desirable of which face southward.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Spring frosts present one of the greatest challenges to producers. Within the 14 communes permitted to produce Sancerre, vines tend to grow on three main soil types: <\/span>Caillottes<\/span><\/i>, shallow pebbly limestone; <\/span>Terres Blanches<\/span><\/i>, marls of chalky-clay found mainly in western Sancerre; and <\/span>Silex<\/span><\/i>, flinty-clay soils in the appellation’s east.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

94 Pt. Touraine Sauvignon Blanc 2022 Domaine Beause\u0301jour ‘Les Silex’<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Notable Vineyards<\/b><\/h2>\n

Among the prime vineyards in this French wine region, Ch\u00eane Marchand in Bu\u00e9 and Les Monts Damn\u00e9s in Chavignol stand out. South-facing Ch\u00eane Marchand’s well-exposed 26 hectares lie on <\/span>caillottes<\/span><\/i> soils celebrated for bright, focused, and distinctly mineral expressions, often providing an early drinking window.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Further north and referred to as “the damned mountains” due to its steep 45-degree slope, Les Monts Damn\u00e9s faces south-southeast and serves as home to older vines grown on <\/span>terres blanches<\/span><\/i> soils known for yielding broad and powerful wines that may benefit from additional bottle age.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sancerre Sauvignon Blanc 2020 Domaine Chaumeau Balland Che\u0302ne Marchand\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Reputable Producers<\/b><\/h2>\n

Jean-Paul Picard<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n

Domaine Picard traces its Sancerre winemaking legacy back to 1750, during which the family’s intimate knowledge of terroir and vines passed between generations to inform their modern production. By committing to vineyard management on 14 hectares of slopes in Bu\u00e9 with minimal intervention, they impart a refreshing, lively character and vivid sense of place to the 2023 white and ros\u00e9 Sancerre expressions – outstanding values for the category!<\/span><\/p>\n

JP Picard Sancerre Sauvignon Blanc 2022<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

JP Picard Menetou-Salon Rose\u0301 2022<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

The Bizet family began farming vines in Sancerre at the start of the 20th century with the help of a horse-drawn plow. Today, Thibault and his mother, Maryline, oversee 8.5 hectares planted to Sauvignon Blanc and a small quantity of Pinot Noir, adhering to a philosophy emphasizing respect for their terroir of 30 parcels within four communes. The soil diversity in these vineyards is readily evident when tasting their wines; each carefully vinified to express its unique site.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Domaine Bizet Sancerre Blanc 2023<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Pascal Jolivet<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n

Continuing in the footsteps of his n\u00e9gociant father and grandfather, Pascal Jolivet established his namesake Sancerre brand in 1987, embracing natural vinification and indigenous yeasts for winemaking. It wasn’t until six years later that he finally acquired his own vines in Le Ch\u00eane Marchand, Le Grand Chemarin, and the Plante des Pr\u00e9s.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Early critical acclaim inspired an expansion of the business, which today includes more than 180 hectares throughout Sancerre, Pouilly Fum\u00e9, and Touraine, informing a large portfolio spanning entry-level to super-premium wines.<\/span><\/p>\n

Domaine Vacheron<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n

Domaine Vacheron champions organic and biodynamic farming primarily on <\/span>silex<\/span><\/i> soils to deliver terroir-centric, beautifully defined bottlings that grace some of the finest restaurant wine lists throughout the world. Cousins Jean-Laurent and Jean-Dominique take a “Burgundian” approach to winemaking, vinifying parcels separately and calibrating the final blends depending on what mother nature provides each vintage. Pinot Noir stands on equal footing with Sauvignon Blanc at the estate, creating a strong demand for all their Sancerre releases.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now that you know the story behind Sancerre, visit WTSO.com<\/a> frequently to spot amazing deals on gorgeous wines from there and other fine Loire Valley gems!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Following France’s longest river, the Loire, east from the Atlantic coast through the maritime conditions of Nantes to Saumur, then Tours, and finally Sancerre, a shift toward a cooler continental climate occurs. The various appellations along the way, connected by this French wine region’s defining body of water and its tributaries, contain a diverse collection […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":6985,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[337,336],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6984","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wine-geography","category-wine-learning"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6984","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6984"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6984\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6987,"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6984\/revisions\/6987"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}