Lesimple Sancerre Blanc 2016
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After having trained in a stellar American winery, he took over the reins of the family domaine, where he farms 10 hectares, of which 85% are Sauvignon Blanc.
After several years of working with local wine merchants, he decided to start producing his own bottles of Sancerre, which is indeed fortunate for lovers of this nectar.
Gilles Lesimple farms his vines with minimum intervention, to ensure maximum respect for the environment. Some plots are left with grass between the rows to help prevent erosion, but also to give the vines some competition, which helps improve the quality of the grapes.
His land is situated in the communes of Sancerre, Verdigny, Saint Satur, and Sury en Vaux for his Sauvignon, and he also has some Pinot in the first three. Well located, facing South and South West, they are planted on three principal types of terroir (which is an advantage for the Domaine).
Capable of a vast array of styles, Sauvignon Blanc is a crisp, refreshing variety that equally reflects both terroir and varietal character. Though it can vary depending on where it is grown, a couple of commonalities always exist—namely, zesty acidity and intense aromatics. This variety is of French provenance. Somm Secret—Along with Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc is a proud parent of Cabernet Sauvignon. That green bell pepper aroma that all three varieties share is no coincidence—it comes from a high concentration of pyrazines (herbaceous aromatic compounds) inherent to each member of the family.
Marked by its charming hilltop village in the easternmost territory of the Loire, Sancerre is famous for its racy, vivacious, citrus-dominant Sauvignon blanc. Its enormous popularity in 1970s French bistros led to its success as the go-to restaurant white around the globe in the 1980s.
While the region claims a continental climate, noted for short, hot summers and long, cold winters, variations in topography—rolling hills and steep slopes from about 600 to 1,300 feet in elevation—with great soil variations, contribute the variations in character in Sancerre Sauvignon blancs.
In the western part of the appellation, clay and limestone soils with Kimmeridgean marne, especially in Chavignol, produce powerful wines. Moving closer to the actual town of Sancerre, soils are gravel and limestone, producing especially delicate wines. Flint (silex) soils close to the village produce particularly perfumed and age-worthy wines.
About ten percent of the wines claiming the Sancerre appellation name are fresh and light red wines made from Pinot noir and to a lesser extent, rosés. While not typically exported in large amounts, they are well-made and attract a loyal French following.