Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Just bottled the week I tasted it, and representing a mere third of a normal crop due to the loss to hail, the Vacheron 2009 Sancerre – which as usual mingles around half each flint and classic chalk soils – smells of pennyroyal, clover, blackcurrant, fennel, and very ripe honeydew melon. The melon and herb melange on the palate manages to have an at least metaphorically cooling not to mention a literally luscious effect, which is good considering there is 14.6% alcohol to deal with here. This might well be even more expressive now after having rested from bottling. I would however plan on enjoying it over the next couple of years, not longer, due to the vintage style and alcohol.
Rated: 89+
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.