Lucien Crochet Sancerre 2009
-
Robert
Parker
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Crochet's basic 2009 Sancerre – incorporating the fruit of younger vines and less-ripe but geologically diverse sites, and still in tank when I tasted it – is indistinctly but attractively scented with a greenhouse-like amalgam of leafy and flowering things, along with lime and a touch of gooseberry. White pepper and nettle that I imagine pointing toward the wine's flint component combine with the citrus and berry for a strikingly pungent as well as saline, chalky, long-lasting palate impression so that, as Crochet notes, despite high ripeness and just over 13.5% alcohol, it's still "very Sauvignon" as well as "very straight Sancerre." Given that the high ripeness of this vintage does not seem to lend itself to nuance, charm, or (with some exceptions) really luscious tropical fruit character, I'll be happy to settle over the next couple of years for the rectitude displayed here!
Range: 88-89
Other Vintages
2010-
Robert
Parker
-
Robert
Parker
Lucien Crochet expanded the estate over the last thirty years to its current surface area of 38 hectares. His son, Gilles, now runs the estate. 29 hectares are planted with Sauvignon Blanc. It is with these grapes that they produce their range of white wines. The remaining 9 hectares are planted with Pinot Noir which go into the making of the red and rosé wines.
Most of Lucien Crochet's vineyards are located within the village of Bué, with some in the neighbouring communes of Sancerre, Crézancy and Vinon. The soil and subsoil are clay-limestone based and date back to the Oxfordian and Kimmeridgian stages.
Most of the vines face south, south-west and south-east, giving the grapes maximum exposure to the summer sun.
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.