Winemaker Notes
From 63-year-old Sauvignon Blanc vines planted on the famous flinted hills of Saint-Satur, on the eastern side of the Sancerre appellation.
Overflowing aromas of flints and spices. Powerful in fruit and in body evokes the Sauvignon flower and the sap of the vines. With a superb balance, a delicate and harmonious expression, all of its elegance grows on the finish.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Golden flecks with a hint of green, this pithy wine shows rich yellow plum and an opulent, vibrant texture reflecting its flinty terroir. This is a precise wine with a long finish. The 2022 is naturally a little tight at present but has clear potential and should develop further in bottle. Fermented in stainless steel followed by six months on its lees. The Famille Bourgeois took over the small domaine, which is based in Saint-Satur, noted for its flinty soils. Florent Bourgeois has been in charge since 2013. Prior to this Florent had gained wide experience both in France and also in California, Argentina and at Clos Henri, the Bourgeois property in New Zealand.
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.