How to pick the best Sancerre wine

Originally written for Decanter magazine in 2007 and updated in 2019.

Sancerre is easily the most spectacular – and largest –vineyard in the Loire. The steep rolling countryside with its arc of vineyards around the dominating hill of Sancerre is unique to the region. With one or two exceptions, vineyards elsewhere in the Loire are gently sloping. The area is justly famous for its aromatic Sauvignons, but is also capable of some delicious reds from Pinot Noir.

Sancerre is particularly beautiful in the autumn when the hills are a mass of gold. As you follow the river Loire towards the coast, this is the first appellation in the region– along with neighbouring Pouilly-Fumé – you reach that has an international reputation.

A red history

There are now approximately 2,800ha of vines planted here, meaning Sancerre accounts for more than half the central Loire’s total of 5,000ha. While the vast majority is Sauvignon Blanc, about 25% is Pinot Noir. In fact, before phylloxera devastated these vineyards at the end of the 19th century, red varieties dominated – principally Pinot Noir and Gamay. Until appellation contrôlée was introduced, some of these grapes went north to be used for making Champagne. It was only after phylloxera that Sauvignon Blanc took over.

Since the mid-1990s there has been a revolution in the quality of red Sancerre. Historically, most red has been made in a light, easy-drinking style from high yields. Although the majority of red Sancerre is still made in this style, a small group of the top producers, such as Alphonse Mellot, Vincent Pinard and the Vacherons are now making serious, ageworthy Pinots from low yields. This means hand picking and sorting tables in both the vineyard and the chai – especially important in difficult vintages.

Scroll down to see our experts’ pick of the best Sancerre wines

Increasingly those producers using wood are opting for larger barrels – 400, 500 and 600 litres rather than 225-litre barriques. ‘We want to avoid the taste of wood in our wines,’ is a common refrain.

Sancerre rosé makes up about 5% of overall production. It is generally pale in colour, as most are made by pressing the grapes immediately, which only extracts a little colour. A few are rosés de saigné, running off some of the juice from the red vats, which helps to concentrate the reds as well as giving the rosés more colour and structure.

The Sancerre terroir

Of course, Sancerre remains renowned for its whites, which are derived from three distinct soil types – silex (flint), caillottes (limestone) and terres blanches (clay and limestone). They produce three very different styles of wine.

The band of flint is found in the most easterly part of the vineyard around Sancerre: St-Satur, Ménétréol-sous-Sancerre and Thauvenay. It accounts for about 20% of the appellation, and the wines tend to be mineral, often with a slightly smoky nose.

About 40% of the vineyard is limestone. Here the soil is very thin – in places virtually non-existent – with the vines struggling straight into the white rocky soil. ‘Wines from les caillottes are always the most aromatic when they are young and are ready to drink first,’ explains Jean-Marie Bourgeois. These are ready to drink in the spring after the vintage, although there has been a tendency among some producers to bottle too early – in January or February following the vintage – and not give their wine enough time to develop any complexity before bottling.

‘The longest-lived wines and those that need most time before being ready to drink are those from the terres blanches,’ continues Bourgeois. Most of the terres blanches, which accounts for 40% of the appellation, are in the western part of the appellation with many vineyards planted on steep hills. Le Clos de la Poussie (above Bué), Les Monts Damnés and Côte de Beaujeu (both above Chavignol) are some of the best-known terres blanches vineyards. Many of the best wines come from here.

Sancerre has benefited from a succession of dynamic producers, such as Jean-Marie Bourgeois, Alphonse Mellot, Jean-Max Roger and the Vacheron family. They have led both by example and also by encouraging other vignerons. The Sancerre appellation has the advantage of being compact, with the small town of Sancerre and its attractive old houses providing a clear focus.

Over the last five or six years there has been a noticeable move away from using weedkillers and towards grassing down, which both combats erosion and reduces vine vigour, as well as working the soil. Prior to 2000, heavy rain often caused serious erosion in the vineyards, as the hard, bare soil absorbed little water, so there would be torrents of mud coursing down through the steep slopes. ‘In 20 years virtually all the Sancerre vineyards will be organically farmed,’ predicts Denis Vacheron.

‘More and more producers are moving to organic or biodynamic viticulture. We are now seeing the progressive disappearance of vignerons in their 60s and 70s who refuse to change.’

Another sign of the Sancerrois working together is the opening last year of the Maison de Sancerre, which has a very interesting series of audio-visual displays of the history of the vineyard and explanation of the work in the vineyards through the year.

The Key Players

Henri Bourgeois, Chavignol

Over the years the dynamic Bourgeois family, originally under the leadership of Jean-Marie Bourgeois, has come to dominate the small village of Chavignol with their winery, various cellars, a retail shop and a fine restaurant, La Côte des Monts Damnés. The family also has a vineyard in Marlborough, New Zealand, growing Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. The Sancerre whites tend to be stronger than the reds, and the top cuvée is Le Chêne St-Etienne.

Cave de Sancerre

With 130 members, this is the only cooperative in Sancerre and is responsible for 10% of the appellation’s production. It is a big supplier to supermarkets. The quality of the whites is considerably higher than the reds, which tend to be rather thin and stalky.

Chateau de Sancerre

The Marnier-Lapostolle family owns the château that tops the hill of Sancerre. The present château was built in 1874 in the style of Louis XII, and Louis-Alexandre Marnier-Lapostolle bought it in 1919. Today the vineyards are managed by Gérard Cherrier. ‘Rather than use chemical treatments, it is important that the vines develop their own immunity and that we respect the environment,’ says Cherrier. The white Cuvée du Connétable is the top wine.

Lucien Crochet, Bue

This estate, which has long been run by Lucien’s son, Gilles Crochet, has a deservedly high reputation. ‘We pick entirely by hand,’ says Crochet. ‘I sign up 60 pickers, knowing 45 will turn up on the day.’ Crochet is keen that his whites have a mineral character, so restricts the amount of lees stirring.

Fournier, Verdigny

Starting from just 5ha in 1950, Fournier Père & Fils has become a serious producer and négociant. They also have substantial holdings in Pouilly-Fumé and Menetou-Salon with a total production of around 1.5 million bottles a year. None of the wines see any wood. The top cuvée is the reasonably priced Cuvée Chaudouillonne.

Domaine Fouassier, Sancerre

This family company is run by Pierre and Jean-Michel and they have vines across the three types of soil in Sancerre, as well as a négociant business. Their top wines come from a single soil type – Les Romains is from flint and the Clos Paradis from the terres blanches.

Alphonse Mellot, Sancerre

Alphonse Mellot (senior) is one of the great characters of Sancerre. His enthusiasm and passion for quality are legendary. The arrival of Alphonse junior in the early 1990s raised the quality still further. The Mellots abandoned their négociant business to concentrate all their efforts on their own 46ha of vines and, in particular, to improve the quality of their reds. Here they have made remarkable progress.

Joseph Mellot, Sancerre

Joseph Mellot is both a producer and négociant. Along with Henri Bourgeois, Mellot is the largest producer in Sancerre. The company also has vineyards in all the central Loire ACs except for Châteaumeillan, and was the first producer in Sancerre to have a bottling line equipped for screwcaps.

Vincent Pinard, Bue

This domaine has long made wines – both white and red – of impeccable quality. Vincent has now been joined by his two sons. Back in 1989 Pinard was one of the first to ferment his white in new wood. ‘The practice was then frowned on,’ says Pinard, ‘so I called the cuvée Harmonie.’

Jean-Max Roger, Bue

Jean-Max Roger has often been ahead of his time. For instance he was one of the first to grass over his vineyards in 1990. ‘When I started back then to grass over some of our vineyards and till the soil in the rest people thought I was mad!’ Roger’s whites and reds age well.

Vacheron, Sancerre

The Vacherons are a long-standing top-quality wine family with cellars in the centre of Sancerre. The older generation – Jean-Louis and Denis – is in the process of handing over the reins to the younger – Jean-Dominique and Jean-Laurent. The entire estateis now biodynamic, and the top wines – Les Romains (white) and Les Belles Dames (red) will easily last 10 years.

Francois Crochet, Bue

After work placements with Bruno Clair in Burgundy, Château Angélus in St-Emilion and one in New Zealand, Crochet set up in 1998 with 2000 as his first vintage. Grapes are picked by hand, and he invested in a sorting table in 2004. His whites and reds have concentration and wonderful balance. The whites age on their lees and are mineral rather than exuberantly aromatic. His top wines are Le Chêne Marchand and Les Amoureuses (white) and Réserve de Mareigoué (red).

The best Sancerre wines:

These top-scoring wines have been reviewed by our experts on separate occasions

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