This Week's Must-Try Wines from Vinous
Louis-Benjamin Dagueneau
Silex Pouilly-Fumé Sauvignon Blanc 2018
Perhaps the most famous of the Dagueneau cuvées, the 2018 Silex is flowing and accessible on entry, but then it coils and tightens. The silex (flint) soil gives firmness, imbuing structure and steely tension. Power and concentration combine, providing an almost waxy texture on the finish. Flavors of spiced apples, almonds and pastry linger. It's just not quite as long as expected. Tasted over three days. (Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous, August 2021)
— 3 years ago
Domaine Delaporte
Chavignol Sancerre Sauvignon Blanc 2020
A crisp style with a rounded profile making for an easy-to-like Sauvignon Blanc. The 2020 Sancerre Chavignol is a blend of around 40 blocks and features aromas of gooseberry, citrus and boxwood. It might not be the most complicated or the most concentrated Sancerre, but it offers texture, aromatics and freshness. Well-made, balanced and approachable from the off. (Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous, August 2021)
— 3 years ago
Domaine François Cotat
Les Culs de Beaujeu Sancerre Sauvignon Blanc 2019
An idiosyncratic, intriguing wine that is about as far from standard Sancerre as you'll get, and for that, Cotat will be relieved. The 2019 Sancerre Culs de Beaujeu has great concentration, and the gentle handling translates into delicacy of fruit. However, it’s far from a fruity wine; you'll find floral notes, an iodine-like character and nutty nuances (old barrels, including large formats, are preferred). It retains a sense of freshness and an almost briny essence on the long finish. (Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous, August 2021)
— 3 years ago
Louis-Benjamin Dagueneau
Pur Sang Sauvignon Blanc 2018
Sourced from a south-facing single vineyard on flint and clay over chalk, the 2018 Pur Sang is all white flowers and spiced apple pastry. Seemingly effortless and silken, its Sauvignon edges rounded out in barrels. It offers excellent concentration on the mid-palate, a line of acidity acting like a thread and holding the core together like a ball. Delectably textured, with a hint of tannic sensation holding the mouth gently on a lengthy conclusion that's drawn-out and precise. A complex, multifaceted wine. (Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous, August 2021)
— 3 years ago
Claude Riffault
Les Chasseignes Sancerre Sauvignon Blanc 2019
The 2019 Sancerre Les Chasseignes has a ripe and open expression. It fills the mouth with a sense of effortlessness, which Stephane Riffault puts down to both the caillottes soil and the ripeness of the vintage. It is in the riper spectrum of Sauvignon aromatics. This wine leaves the variety's green flavors far behind and focuses instead on orchard fruit and almost heads into the realms of tropical fruit, which isn't something you normally associate with Sancerre. Gently refreshing with the caillottes providing a line of chalkiness on the finish. One for the short to medium term due to the vintage's ripe profile. (Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous, August 2021)
— 3 years ago
Vincent Pinard
Nuance Sancerre Sauvignon Blanc 2019
The 2019 Sancerre Nuance has a delicate, elegant style that caresses the palate with its tenderness and yet remains light and delicate, with lovely balance. Fermentation in large-format oak has left no woody impression, just a sense of roundness and harmony. The flavors are restrained and delicate, like the rest of wine, featuring gentle apple, the merest hint of nettle and a subtle note of lees-derived pastry. The finish is textured, fresh and good enough to eat. (Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous, August 2021)
— 3 years ago
Domaine Vacheron
Les Romains Sancerre Sauvignon Blanc 2019
The 2019 Sancerre Les Romains is made in a supple, full style with a sense of lightness. It has the balance of a gymnast and a fine texture. The satisfying, mouthwatering, refined finish features delicate fragrances of chamomile and lemon. (Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous, August 2021)
— 3 years ago
Louis-Benjamin Dagueneau
Didier Dagueneau Buisson-Renard Sauvignon Blanc 2018
Returning in 2018 after 2017 was wiped out by frosts, this is an intense, wild 2018 Buisson Renard, like an untamed head of curls. In clear evidence at this early stage, it has floral and boxwood characters and a nutty oak-derived influence. There's even an intriguing note of peppermint on the sinewy, lengthy finish. In a mid-weight, linear style with a firm, phenolic finish that almost requires knife and fork. This needs more time in bottle to shed its austere frame, but if you're not in a hurry... (Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous, August 31, 2021)
— 3 years ago
Alphonse Mellot
La Moussière Sancerre Sauvignon Blanc 2020
The 2020 Sancerre La Moussière is an easygoing wine offering clean, pure flavors of pineapple, grass and pear. It's full and rounded with a whopping 15% alcohol, which no doubt has boosted the texture and palate weight. (Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous, August 2021)
— 3 years ago
Delectable Wine
Follow to learn about our favorite wines & people.
The 2020 Sancerre La Grande Côte is a fine wine with a piercing nose of floral and flint. While it may be dry, it offers a sensation of sweet fruit and high alcohol (14.5%), which Cotat compares to the ripe 2009 and 1990 vintages. Being late-picked and on a south slope, these grapes get ripe, and in this vintage, I can't help but think that the balance has been slightly knocked by this ripeness. That said, it offers delectable texture and sinew and remains an impressive wine. Tasting the 2009 Cul de Beaujeu soon after, high alcohol (15%) remains evident with bottle age. (Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous, August 2021)
— 3 years ago