Winemaker Notes
Pairs well with fresh oysters or other shellfish; goat cheese.
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Enthusiast
One of a powerful series of single-vineyard releases from this producer, this rich, spicy wine shows maturity and almost perfect density and balance. Flavors have now softened into maturity while still hinting at vibrant green fruits. Drink this wine now although it will age further. Organic and biodynamic.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
From an east-facing vineyard and 26-year-old vines on "marnes de crétacé," the 2017 Sancerre Le Pavé opens deep and intense yet pure, fresh and stony on the very complex nose. Round and intense on the palate, with a full and powerful body, refreshing richness and lingering piquancy, this is a pure, fine and elegant yet sustainable and persistently salty Sancerre with a stimulatingly salty and finely tannic finish. Absolutely gorgeous. Tasted in February 2021.
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.