By a nice coincidence (!) we just happened to be in Sancerre
for the 87th Foire aux Vins de Sancerre. It was held in the lovely location of the
Caves de la Mignonne which are literally under Sancerre. Being a weekend event one can visit over the
two days and perhaps do white wines one day and red wines the next. Most of the communes and hameau that grow
and make Sancerre are represented; I didn’t notice Menetreol-Sous-Sancerre
being represented but all the others certainly were. During two days we tasted about sixty wines out
of the four hundred plus on offer and the notes I made on the day are appended
below.
VEAUGUES &
SURROUNDING VILLAGES
Domaine Brosses – Secrets Des Tronchbochards – Blanc 2012.
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| A Veaugues Wine |
A light minerally wine with good levels of acidity for
matching with food.
Domaine De Champarlay – David and Luc Girard – Humbligny –
Blanc 2012
This wine still tastes very green but definitely OK.
Laurent et Maxime Mitri – Jalognes – Blanc 201?
Light and mineral.
Great value Sancerre.
Domaine Brosses – Secrets des Tronchbochards – Rouge 2011
Nice fruit.
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| Jane posing at the Veaugues and Thauvenay stand |
CREZANCY-EN-SANCERRE
Domaine De La Voltonnerie – Jack Pinson – La Bourg Crezancy
– Blanc 2012
Very nice, subtle, mineral.
Cave Laetitia Ducroux – Reigny Crezancy – Blanc 2012
More fruit less mineral than the previous wine.
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| Eric Louis |
Eric Louis – La Pauline – Blanc 2012
Very nice, perhaps a little thin. Jane liked this one.
Eric Louis – Cuvee Pauline – Vinifee en futs de Chene –
Blanc 2011
Our first oaked wine of the day, it
tasted very oaked. Apparently they use
acacia.
Serge Laloue – Non Flitre – Rouge 2011
I am afraid I didn’t really like this one.
Eric Louis – Cuvee Pauline – Vinifee en futs de Chene –
Rouge 2011
Very interesting!
Jane hated it!
Domaine Curot – Rouge 2010
Not very special.
VINON
Domaine Le Clef du Recit – Anthony Girard – Blanc 2012
Mineral with undertones of goats cheese. Nice.
Domaine Marc Guerin – Bannon – Blanc 2011
Tastes older (as it indeed was) with mushroom notes.
Domaine Marc Guerin – Bannon – Rouge 2011
Nice light wine with good fruit and no oak.
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| Wines on the Saint-Satur stand |
SAINT-SATUR
Domaine Les Chaumes – Jean-Jaques Bardin – Blanc 2012
For me this tasted thin and buttery and I didn’t really like
it.
Laporte – Le Rochoy - Silex– Blanc 2012
Very mineral, almost effervescent with a nice creaminess on
the tongue. A lovely wine to demonstrate
that not all Sancerre are the same.
SANCERRE
Domaine Vacheron – Les Romains – Blanc 2011
A big name in Sancerre.
Rather thin at the start but a long after taste and very balanced.
Domaine Vacheron – Traditionnel – Blanc 2012
A little fatty but similar to 2011, only greener.
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| Claire Bonnard |
Domaine Bonnard – Blanc 2012
Domaine Bonnard – Rouge 2010
Some cherry. Not bad.
 |
| Roland Tissier |
Roland Tissier et Fils – Partly oaked Blanc 2011
Nice balance of oak but little fruit.
Roalnd Tissier et Fls – Cuvee St Benoit – Oaked white 2010
Very nice.
AMIGNY
Domaine Cherrier et Fils – Blanc 2012
Big minerally taste, lacks some body but has long
aftertaste.
ST GEMME EN
SANCERROIS
Domaine Olivier Fouchon – Blanc 2012
Lacks aroma but nice taste.
An OK wine.
Jerome Gordon Les Fouchards– Elegance – Blanc 201?
I think my taste buds are getting tired! My notes just say “Not bad”.
Domaine De Rome – Herve Baudry – Blanc 201?
Very traditional, very nice, good aftertaste.
Domaine De Rome – Herve Baudry – Rouge 201?
OK, very typical.
Domaine des Sardelles Reverdy Freres– Rose 2012
Nothing special.
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| Jane at the St Gemme stand |
Domaine du P’tit Roy – Pierre et Alain Dezat – Blanc 201?
Very nice, good depth but little aftertaste.
Michel Vattan – Calcaire – Blanc 2011
More fruity than the previous wine. Jane finds it acidic.
Michel Vattan – Argile – Blanc 2011
Jane finds it “bubblegum!”
I prefer this to the previous wine as it is more mineral for me.
Pascal and Nicolas Reverdy – Les Angislots – Blanc 2011
Tres Gras, mineral, bouquet is good, very nice! Made from Vielles Vignes.
BUE
Vincent Pinard – Pinot Noir – Rouge 2011
Very good for a Sancerre red.
Bailly-Reverdy, La Mercy-Dieu – Blanc 201?
Very nice. Gooseberry
and floral but not one of my favourites.
CHAVIGNOL
Gilles Lesimple – Blanc 2012
It has a bite! Very good value at €7. Strong, not everyone would like it, but Jane
does!
Domaine Andre Neveu – Le Grand Fricambault Silex – Blanc
2012
Very mineral but gras.
Henri Bourgeois – La Cote des Monts Damnes – Blanc 2011
This is normally one of my favourite wines but it doesn’t
really do anything for me. Perhaps,
still a little young.
Claude et Florence Thomas – Les Aristides Vielles Vignes –
Blanc 2011
Little bouquet but big taste. One of my favourites.
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| The Henry Natter stand |
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| A Sparkling Wine! |
Henry Natter - L’Enchantement – Blanc 2011
Like all Henry Natter it is oaked. Very good, floral but crisp and easy
drinking.
Henry Natter – Classique -Rouge 2008
Earthy, dusty, not bad.
Henry Natter – Vielles Vignes – Blanc 201?
Equally nice. Would
be good with food.
Henry Natter – Classique – Rose 201?
Very dry and fresh.
Not a very big taste.
Henry Natter – Les Secrets d’Anaelle – Brut Sparkling Rose
Possibly the only sparkling wine made in Sancerre? Very bubbly, dry but with sweetness from the
fruit. Definitely worth trying.
Henry Natter – Classique – Rouge 2009
Typical Sancerre Rouge.
VERDIGNY
Roger Reverdy Cadet et Fils – Domaine des Trois Noyes -Rouge
2011
Entirely aged in inox (stainless steel). Easy drinking red. I like it but it is not one for Jane.
Paul Prieur et Fils – Rouge 2011
Another typical Sancerre red. Not too much oak. Rather nice.
Some taste of the cellar but the oak is not too overpowering.
Roger Reverdy Cadet et Fils – Domaine des Trois Noyes -
Blanc 2012
Amazing bouquet.
Floral and gooseberry. Different
to the others. One to try. Apparently the whites of Verdigny tend to be
ready earlier than the other communes.
Fleuriet – Cave de la Petite Fontaine – Rouge 2010
100% en barrique. Another
one completely tasting of the cellar floor.
Jean-Marie Reverdy – Domaine de la Villaudiere – Rouge 2012
100% Inox. Very good
for a red aged entirely in steel.
Apparently this is from caillotte terroir.
Jean-Marie Reverdy – Domaine de la Villaudiere – Blanc 2012
Typical gooseberry floral smell but a bit thin.
Paul Pieur et fils – Rose 201?
Nice smell and taste.
Not too strong or too light.
Jean-Marie Reverdy – Rose 2012
Apparently this is made with a mixture of the two methods –
pressing and saignee. A big rose. Similar to the great rose of Andre Dezat but
perhaps a little thinner.
MENETOU-RATEL
Alain Lauverjat – Blanc 2012
Gooseberry. OK.
Claude Roblin – Les Rossignols -Blanc 2011
More developed.
Alain Lauverjat – Rouge 2010
This is just Inox.
Very nice.
Claude Roblin – Rouge 2010
Inox – Jane liked this.
Les Cotes des Monts Damnes – Blanc 2011
From the slopes of Chavignol but vinified in
Menetou-Ratel. Very typical citrusy
CDeMD.
Domaine des Tayaux – Paul et Jean-Marc Pastou – Blanc 2012
Very different. Quite
big and rustic but lacks finesse.
Claude Riffault – La Noue – Blanc 2009
A big wine. Too oaked for me but Jane liked it.
Claude Riffault – La Noue – Rose 201?
Nice light rose with a cherry background.
Alain Gueneau – Rose 2012
An old favourite that I haven’t had for a number of
years. Nice cherry nose. Not exceptional.
Michel Bedu – Les Rondeleaux – Rouge 2012
Nicely balance oak and fruit but light.
If you get a chance
do come next year and enjoy all the fun of the foire. All the vignerons are very friendly and there
is no hard sell as there is in some foires.
In fact on most stands the wine was just for tasting and not for sale. The entry is free but you pay €5 for a glass
if you want to taste – great value and you end up with a little souvenir.
Other Loire wines like Quincy, Reuilly and Pouilly-Fume were
also available but I didn’t try any of these.
The oyster stand was excellent and proved what a great match Sancerre is
for seafood.
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| Oysters go well with Sancerre |
We made a point of trying the wines of the vignerons who
were actually on the stand. Some stands
such as Bue were quite crowded and not very chatty and thus we didn’t try too
many. We also wanted to visit all twelve
of the Sancerre stands and try all of the different terroirs. Some of our favourite wine makers such as
Domaine de la Prieure and Andre Dezat we didn’t try as we know them so well.
Although notes like this from tasting sixty wines can be a
guide there is nothing like drinking a bottle with a friend to really understand
it. Jane and myself blind tasted three Sancerres
blind recently to see which we preferred.
We changed our minds as we went down the bottle and depending on whether
we had them with food or not. All good
fun though! Never take wine too seriously.
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