Geography

Sancerre sits on the left (west) bank of the Loire river in the Upper Loire region, about 120 miles south of Paris. The vineyards are perched on a series of dramatic chalk-and-flint hilltops with diverse exposures and soil compositions. Three principal soil types define the appellation: terres blanches (Kimmeridgian limestone with high clay content, producing fuller-bodied wines), caillottes (smaller limestone-stone soils, producing more aromatic wines), and silex (flint, producing the smokiest and most age-worthy style). The same Kimmeridgian limestone runs north from here to Chablis.

The wines

Sancerre is overwhelmingly white Sauvignon Blanc from a handful of crus — Chavignol, Bué, Verdigny, Sainte-Gemme-en-Sancerrois being the most respected. A small amount of Sancerre Rouge and Sancerre Rosé are made from Pinot Noir; both are best from the limestone-rich sites and are increasingly serious — Sancerre Rouge from a top producer like Domaine Vacheron is a remarkable food wine. The neighboring appellation Pouilly-Fumé (see /encyclopedia/appellations-encyclopedia/pouilly-fume/) is across the river and produces a sister-but-distinct style.

Style of the wines

Sancerre Sauvignon Blanc: gooseberry, lime, green apple, white pepper, wet stone, flint smoke, with bright acid and a saline-mineral finish. The wines from the silex (flint) soils show the smokiest character — almost gunpowder-like in young bottlings. Acid is bright to high; alcohol typically 12.5-13.5%. Top Sancerre from terres blanches sites can show surprising weight and oak influence; top silex sites show extraordinary mineral intensity.

How they age

Most Sancerre is meant for drinking within four years of vintage. Top silex-soil Sancerre from producers like Edmond Vatan, Didier Dagueneau’s heirs, and Domaine Vacheron can age fifteen years and develop a remarkable honey-and-petrol tertiary complexity reminiscent of aged Riesling. Aged Sancerre is one of the great hidden categories in serious wine.

Producers we know

Edmond Vatan (the cult traditionalist), Domaine Vacheron (we carry their wines — see /regions/loire/), Henri Bourgeois, Lucien Crochet, François Cotat, Pascal Cotat, Domaine Vincent Pinard, Domaine Fournier-Père & Fils. Pouilly-Fumé producers Didier Dagueneau and Domaine de Bel Air are also worth knowing as Sancerre’s neighbors.