Photos from a past visit to Sancerre and other regions of Le Centre: 1. The village of Sancerre; 2. Sancerre town; 3. Sancerre's three soils; 4. Jesse Becker, MS, Emmanuel Mellot and Dominique Roger in Bué; 5. Beth Becker in St-Andelin; 6. The road to Chavignol; 7. A perfect Crottin de Chavignol; 8. Beth near Chavignol; 9. The tiny hamlet of Verdigny at dusk. 

The Loire River extends itself for over 1000 kilometers and its myriad of valleys and tributaries makes for France's most diverse and multi-facted wine region.

The Loire begins in the Massif Central and flows north towards the city of Orléans before it sharply bends left and makes it way to the Atlantic ocean. It's between the Massif and Orléans where the fringe of Burgundy can be felt with its countless lieux-dits (named vineyards) and the occasional plots of Pinot Noir. But it is in Sancerre, the world's benchmark example of Sauvignon Blanc, that the wines of Le Centre (the central vineyards of France) really shine. In Sancerre, Sauvignon excels on the same Kimmeridgian soils that define Chablis. In Pouilly-Fumé, silex (flint) lends a hallmark pierre à fusil (gun flint) aroma to its wines. 

Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé are only two of the Central appellations with something to express. Menetou-Salon, Quincy and Reuilly provide plenty of Sauvignon and Pinot to ponder deeply despite their humble pricing. 

I recently wrote a few words about the Loire on our website. Click here and scroll down to read more about all the diversity and pleasure that the Loire has to offer. 

 

Many thanks to chef and your two superstar sommeliers Christopher Miller and Maria Gomez. So good!

The Chez Panisse warm goat cheese salad prepared at home and served with 2009 Thomas-Labaille Sancerre Les Mont's Damnés.

Still tastes great 30 years later!

I just received the new issue of Sommelier Journal where you'll find a feature article written by yours truly on the lieux-dits of Sancerre. Elizabeth and I lived and worked in Sancerre with Alphonse Mellot in 2008 and we spent quite a lot of time in the vineyards, walking the terrain and tasting the wines. I'm really proud of the article, which has been on hold since early '09, and has finally made it to print. We celebrated the event by opening a bottle of 2005 Patient Cottat Sancerre Rouge and paired it with some broiled wild King Salmon which I'm told is in short supply this year. A great pairing and an even better stroll down memory lane.