Few French appellations have the brand power of Sancerre. Zippy, citrusy Sancerre coats the throats of millions of drinkers per year, many of whom don’t know that it’s a place, not a grape variety. And, as with other appellations that become household names—Chablis, Champagne, and Bordeaux, for starters—its inherent marketability disincentivizes growers to go the extra mile. Read More
A New Face in Sancerre Our market here in the United States seems to possess an unquenchable thirst for Sancerre. A clean, fresh wine with plenty of character; a lovely and easy-to-pronounce name; a grape variety everybody knows; what’s not to like? Unfortunately, much like Provençal rosé, the lion’s share of Sancerre is produced from
Domaine du Nozay. Sancerre’s sprawl encompasses nearly 3,000 hectares of vines, but the traditional heart of the appellation is a central core flanked by the towns of Sancerre, Bue (Crochet’s home turf), and Chavignol. In contrast, the fifteen-hectare Domaine du Nozay lies at the northernmost extreme of the appellation—a contiguous and steep bowl of vineyards just outside the town of Sainte-Gemme-en-Sancerrois.
We were referred to Bernard Boudouresques, the proprietor of this rustic estate situated in the heart of the Minervois, by the Gibert family of Domaine Faillenc Sainte Marie, our source of wines from the Corbieres district. Massiac and Faillenc are about 25 minutes distance, one from the other, along a series of pleasant, winding country roads and they share a rewarding simplicity in their approach to producing wines of character with a strong local identity.
Wines: Minervois Rouge “Chateau Massiac”, Minvervois Rouge “Cuvée Sentinelle”, Sauvignon Blanc, Vin de Pays d’Oc, Viognier