Domaine de la Pauline Sancerre Les Montachins 2019
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Here the pure expression of a single terroir: SILEX! A white Sancerre chiseled in stone which reveals all the purity and minerality of Sauvignon Blanc on one of its favorite terroirs. Flint soils give straight, fine wines with aromas so typical of flint mixed with white fruit and citrus. Despite its strength, it remains delicate with a nice zesty, appetizing and saline finish.
This local Sancerre will pair well with noble crustaceans such as prawns, lobsters, lobsters, etc., foie gras, but it is also a sushi wine par excellence.
Eric Louis’ labels bear the name of his great-great-grandmother Pauline, who established the family’s reputation for quality wines all the way back in the 1860’s. The domaine is located just outside the village of Thauvenay, one of Sancerre’s 14 communes in the southeast section of the appellation. Most of the domaine’s vineyards are just a caillote’s throw from the Loire River.
Though avoiding the bureacratic headaches associated with certification, Eric tends his vines organically, limits yields, and schedules pruning, ploughing and picking according to lunar cycles (Maria Thun calendar). White, red and rosé Sancerres are vinified in the domaine’s two cellars in the heart of the village. In addition to his classic stainless steel fermented Sancerre, young Eric pays homage to his great-great-grandmother with a special bottling called Cuvée Pauline. A very unusual Sauvignon Blanc, Eric’s vin de garde comes from the family’s oldest vines and is aged for ten months sur lie in neutral oak and acacia barrels.
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.