Loire 2023 Releases

This is a warmer, south-facing site than Fumet. In 2019 there is wonderful weight from the peachy nectarine fruit and a floral lift. Just gorgeous right now, and the weight will carry it so well through a few years in the cellar.

Bertrand Minchin’s wines just keep getting better. This north-facing limestone site is cool and late ripening. In a warm year like 2020 it soars. There is such a fine acidity and outstanding length, with so much persistence on the palate. We can’t wait to see how the fruit and acidity entwine further with some bottle age.

This is packed with juicy concentration, with an impressive tension. This is terroir-driven Sauvignon Blanc, with the texture and balance to age well, though it’s probably too enticing to ignore right now. Impressive length. This is one of the smartest Sauvignons we know.

Stéphane Riffault grows in stature with every vintage, and is now unquestionably one of the most exciting producers in the appellation. His 2021s are thrilling wines. Chailloux is the local Sancerrois name for flint (more commonly known as silex), and this parcel is tucked up in the north-east of the appellation where this soil type predominates. It has a northwest aspect and is shaded by a large forest. Flinty sites are often a little warmer, but this one keeps cool, and produces profound acidity. The 2021 is extremely powerful, with exceptional acidity and length. Chapeau.

This parcel is just behind Denis Jamain’s house, and is full of Kimmeridgian limestone soil. It makes a wine with such fresh, fragrant aromas of citrus fruits and oyster brine, with a lightly fruity palate. This is the best example we know from the appellation, and delivers a lovely silky length.

2021 was a tricky year to get Pinot right in Sancerre. So instead of ploughing on as usual, Luc took the brave decision to make a wine that sits at the stylistic antipathy of his natural proclivity for full-bodied, structured Pinot. He handled the 2021 fruit with a light touch, using 100% whole bunch, and a short maceration with a light pressing. The resulting wine is light, bright, refreshing and wonderfully drinkable - what the French call 'digeste'. It has the prettiest accent of that noble vegetal lift you get in the best Loire reds. It will make a great aperitif red, excellent if served a little cooled.

This is bursting with bergamot freshness. As always, Luc says it showed the best balance between acidity and pH in the cellar, meaning the wine tastes vibrant and fresh without being overly bracing and acidic. Pieuchaud is a flinty-soiled lieu-dit in the commune of Thauvenay in the south-east of the Sancerre appellation. Luc decided to isolate this vineyard after noting it always produced fruit with great maturity whilst maintaining that high acidity - the secret to single vineyard wines in his opinion. It is saline and savoury, making it an excellent food wine with plenty of ageing potential.

Every so often a vintage comes along that hits the sweetest pitch; it doesn't matter what level you're buying at - every wine hits the most harmonious note. 2014 was like that in Sancerre, and 2021 is too. From Luc Prieur’s Sancerre Blanc up to his Monts Damnés, this is an electric set of wines. We've loved his Sancerre Blanc for years, and where it has always offered balance, purity and complexity, the 2021 goes one step further. It comes from parcels dotted around the village of Verdigny and is a blend of the three major soil types found in the region: caillottes, silex and terres blanches. The 2021 is tiny in volume (the frost bit hard here) but has the sophistication and vibrant energy of the wonderful 2014 vintage, with prickly notes of freshly strimmed nettles and jasmine spice. It's a wine to tuck away if you can resist. This is an exceptionally terroir-driven Sancerre from one of the finest young talents in the region.

This is a blend of four parcels, with a high proportion of fruit from vines older than 50 years. It is smooth and fruity. Its brightness is piqued with a fine line of pithy bitterness. This is a great example of the appellation; so refreshing and quenching.

This was yet again our top pick from the domaine’s four single vineyard wines. It comes from old vines planted on sandy gravel soils. It is always the first site to be picked, and in 2020 it captures the vibrant acidity and freshness of the vintage. The nose has subtle melon and green apple fruit, whilst the palate has beautiful energy, with crisp weight. A very complete and composed example of Quincy.

Another terres blanches site, this is in the small hamlet of Amigny, and is considered by many as the defining wine of the Cotat collection. It often needs the longest time in the cellar, too. With time it will reveal a level of volume and density uncommon in Sauvignon Blanc, taking the variety far beyond its usual earthly bounds.

This is the defining site of Sancerre, and akin to a grand cru in the appellation. It is the steep slope that runs the length of the Chavignol village and its south-facing aspect and terres blanches soils produce the appellation’s most powerful and long-lived wines. François’s wine perfectly captures the power and finesse of this great site, with statuesque poise.

Unlike his neighbours who use the lieu-dit name Cul de Beaujeu, Gérard keeps the original 'Clos' in his, as his vines lie within the oldest part of the vineyard, that had originally been surrounded by a wall. They sit in the chalky Kimmeridgian terres blanches soils of this dramatically steep south-east facing slope that rises up behind the village of Chavignol. Of all his cuvées, this is the most opulent in character, the most open and forward in its youth. 2020 is a vintage of opulence and freshness, meaning it will drink well from youth, as well as age beautifully.

Gérard's La Côte hails from the same highly-prized terres blanches (Kimmeridgian marl) vineyard as François Cotat's La Grande Côte (though in fact the parcel is officially called La Côte d'Amigny). The chalky soil here makes for the most austere of Gérard's wines, with a restrained nose that begins to open up with some air, hinting at the haunting beauty to come if you give it a few years to age. It is mineral and tense, nervous and fine-boned, with a precise and lingering finish.

This is made from the Chasselas grape, the lesser-known variety of Pouilly, with only a handful of hectares remaining today. Jonathan’s is one of the best examples: refined and floral, juicy and refreshing. What it lacks in Sauvignon Blanc’s razor sharp edges it gains in its delicate proportions.

This is one of the best wines we’ve tasted from Jonathan Pabiot recently. It hits all the marks. It comes from a limestone parcel near Tracy-sur-Loire and is ripe, fresh, full of energy, and shows great character. The wine has spent 18 months ageing in concrete tanks before bottling, and it has a silky texture with a deliciously long, bright finish.

The Pinard brothers, Clément and Florent, are top dogs in the southern village of Bué in the celebrated Sancerre appellation. They make various single vineyard wines in the village, all of which are highly detailed, gastronomic wines. Le Château sits just to the north of Le Grand Chemarin and Chêne Marchand, on Kimmeridgian marl. The wine is tense and powerful with a racy richness and voluminous, ample concentration. Ageing in oak barrels (none new) gives this Sauvignon Blanc a roundness that works so well with the natural power of the site and this vintage.

Harmonie is one of the best-loved Pinard cuvées. It’s a blend of the top vineyards in Bué: Chêne Marchand and Grand Chemarin. The nose is so complex and already so complete. It offers up crushed seashells, anise, and a touch of tropical fruit. This is Sauvignon Blanc at its vibrant best.

Les Créots is found in the relatively unknown village of Thauvenay at the south-eastern limit of the appellation. Its quartz-flecked clay soils are fertile ground for quality-minded producers seeking vineyard expression. For an introduction to the domaine’s whites, you couldn’t do much better than this. It is floral and delicate on the nose. The palate has an agile freshness. This is a wonderfully restrained style of Sancerre Blanc, with zesty freshness.

This Sancerre Rosé is made in the village of Bué by brothers Clément and Florent Pinard, who know a thing or two about Pinot Noir. It's fresh and fruity, but with serious structure underneath making it a great accompaniment with food. It's a real all-rounder of a rosé, and easily one of the best in the appellation.

The Pinard brothers are the leading authority on Sancerre Rouge. This comes from a blend of parcels in the village of Bué, thought to be the best source of Pinot Noir in the Sancerre appellation. 50-year-old vines and low yields of around 30hl/ha give wonderful concentration. This means volumes are small, and demand far outstrips supply for this wine. It has deliciously fresh, ripe red fruit at its core, and silky tannins, it is an exceptionally well made Pinot Noir in any context. Wonderfully rich yet vibrant. 30% whole bunch.