WINERY: Domaine Vacheron
GRAPE: Sauvignon Blanc
REGION: Sancerre
 
The Vacherons without question are Sancerre’s leading winemaking clan. From the family’s pioneering work in identifying and exploring the region’s top terroirs to their leading position in biodynamic viticulture, there are few if any artisans today in Sancerre as exacting or as respected.
 
The estate’s peerless older vines, planted and cultivated by generations of family members, are cared for fastidiously. Yet it is the their single vineyard wines, like ‘Les Romains’—terroir-based selections recalling the painstaking work of Burgundian monks in the Côte d’Or—that have shown the world the heights and complexity that Sancerre can reach.
 
VINEYARDS: Pure flint (silex) soils, rich in fossilized material; such soils contribute aminerality and smokiness to the wine. A full south-facing vineyard. ‘LesRomains’ was one of the domaine’s first ‘single-vineyard’ bottlings (thefirst vintage was 1997).AGE OF VINES: 40+ years
 
WINEMAKING: Hand-harvested. Fermented on indigenous yeasts and aged in older French barrique. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.
 
TASTING IMPRESSIONS: Aromas of crisp pears, lemon zest, wildflowers. Stone fruit and citrus, with a finish that echoes the terroir’s smoke and seasalt notes. Complex and very age-worthy.
 
PAIRING SUGGESTIONS: Rich seafood; white meats; cream sauces