Sauvignon Blanc (Sancerre)

In 2020, it's a name that is synonymous with excellent and very natural Sauvignon Blanc. But, what exactly is Sancerre and what is its wine history? Hoe long has Sauvignon Blanc been the grape for which Sancerre is known.

To see what Sancerre is, let's go there. 

Sancerre is simply a town on the left or west bank of the Loire River pretty much right in the middle of France. Roughly 200km/125 miles almost due south of Paris, it sits on a hilltop just off this navigable part of the Loire. Depending on where we are on the hill, we could be at anywhere from 200 to 400m/660 to 1320feet above sea level. And, while the center of what we know in the wine world is Sancerre, it's actually a group of roughly a dozen communes centered around this town.

Sancerre was not always the home of Sauvignon Blanc. In fact, until the late-middle part of the 20th century, Sancerre produced mostly red wines. And when there were white wines produced, they were mostly Chasselas. 

Somewhere around that time, a chateau whose name I do not know started to make a white wine out of Sauvignon Blanc. Looking for a white complement to Beaujolais in the bistros of Paris, the wine was sent to the north and was an almost instant success. And, Sancerre became the quintessential white wine in bistros, cafes, and restaurants on the European continent.

What makes it so special? As is the case with many great wine-producing areas, the slopes of the area are generally southerly facing ensuring lots of sunshine (in the southern hemisphere, north facing is more desirable). And, the soil, while diverse, is all conducive to growing this wonderful white grape.

In the western part of Sancerre, the clay and limestone, quite Kimmeridgean (dark, chalky marl composed largely of seashells from the Jurassic period) in the same manner as Chablis. The wines here are loaded with gooseberry and quite powerful in nature.

Moving eastward toward the town of Sancerre, the soil is much more gravelly giving excellent drainage and producing more delicate wines. Finally, in the town of Sancerre itself, closest to the Loire, the wines are particularly flinty and perfumed, and tend to be the most ageworthy of the wines of Sancerre.

Most of the wines of Sancerre never see oak. They are instead fermented in concrete or stainless steel as the local winemakers have found this to produce more pleasant wines.

These wines drink young. Only the best will last more than two to three years before falling below their peaks. How do you know which ones are the best? It sounds silly, but look at the price. In the US, you can pick up good Sancerre in the $15-25 price range. Once you go beyond that, you are typically getting the better, more ageworthy Sancerre. That said, if you are going to be spending that much, do your research in advance.