The WineThe Loire Valley is the spiritual home of Sauvignon Blanc, and Sancerre is the alter at which they worship. Over 500 miles inland from the Atlantic ocean, closer to the source of the Loire river, Sancerre is a wine every curious wine lover must know.
Average vine age is 30 years, across three estate vineyards and the three soil types common to Sancerre, which helps account for its complexity. Aged in tank for 9 months, then in bottle for a year before release.
The Winery
Patrick Noël (pah-TREEK noh-EHL) comes from three generations of wine growers in the village of Chavignol, in the Sancerre area. He is the exception, in that he is the first male in this line of succession, but the family order is being restored with the entry of his daughter, Julie, who assumed winemaking and viticultural duties once Patrick retired. Her degree and work in six different wineries, including one in New Zealand, have prepared her well for her "rising star" status among Sancerre's next generation of winemakers.
The gravity-fed winery was established in the 80's, built inside a 14th century monastary (the Abbey of Saint-Satur). Today they use only estate fruit, ferment with native yeasts, and take all the measures necessary in vineyard to reach France's HVE certification for sustainable farming.
The family has established a reputation for wines of graceful intensity and complexity - somethine I particularly enjoy in a Sauvignon Blanc, which can be something of a shape-shifter, depending on the warmth of the region it's from.
