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Downtime Food & Wine-National News End of summer wines - Yours Sancerrely
| End of summer wines - Yours Sancerrely |
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| Friday, 21 September 2007 | |
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Sancerre wine comes from the upper
reaches of the Loire, where the river
flows from south to north, producing a
marginal climate for vine growing. But
thanks to its devoted vintners it gained
worldwide recognition long before the New
World sauvignon blanc came on the scene.
Even today, more than half of the 22 million
bottles produced annually are exported.
The Appellation Contrôlée (AC), the sign
of highest quality French wine, was awarded
to the sauvignon blanc in 1936, followed by
the pinot noir, and finally to the lesser known
Sancerre red and rosé in 1959. With 230 individual vignerons, two coops and 30 négociants*, styles and quality of wine vary considerably, along with the price. One of the reasons, apart from the expertise of the vintner, is the soil, the famous French terroir. Some individualists make a point of producing, marketing and showing their visitors the differences in sauvignon blanc and pinot noir grown on various soils within the defined area. Kimmeridgian and Portlandian clays and flint around Sancerre itself, plus a few outcroppings of iron stone can make a major impact on the taste of wine. Other vintners blend their grape juice to conform to their trademark or brand, while major producers and merchants make their wines to suit their market requirement.  The ever-smiling Jack Pinson pours his Sancerre for a tasting Pascal Gitton (Gitton Père et Fils) at Ménétreol-sous-Sancerre is one of the individualists who offers single vineyard wines, sometimes in two different styles from the same vineyard, if there is a soil variation within it. If you need educating on the effect of terroir on wine, he is your man. His major market is in export to Asia and the Far East, but he also sells by mail order and ‘farm gate’. Visitors are given an excellent welcome, but a phone call to 02 48 54 38 84 in advance would be appreciated. In the east of the region, as you enter the village of Crézancy-en-Sancerre, are the cellars and shop of Jack Pinson at Domaine de la Voltonnerie. Pinson is a small, prestigious vigneron with 13 hectares of vines (only 10% pinot noir), that produce around 115,000 bottles a year. On taking over the family estate, he realised that to be successful he would need to update and expand. Agro-tourism was one answer, so when he modernised the cellars, the free space was used to set up a shop where he could finish guided tours in a wine tasting, with or without food. More recently, using an outside caterer, he has held small functions from wedding parties to company jaunts which have also proved very popular. “Everything here is under my personal control,” said Pinson. “And with most of the family living within 150 metres of the cellars, help is readily available. I produce four main wines, sometimes with more than one vintage: two Sancerre blancs – standard and vieilles vignes in the best years, a red and, to keep up with the modern trend, a rosé. I’ve sold all my 2005 wines and stocks of the 2006s are lower than I would like.” His best export customer is in Seattle in the United States. * Source: INAO statistics for 2005 September wines • Sancerre Blanc 2006 A well made, quality Sancerre, pale lemon with green tints, aromas of new mown grass and gooseberry – this is the archetypal sauvignon blanc. A crisp, very dry wine, following on with flavours of green apple and gooseberry, it is slightly ‘steely’ and has a long finish.
• Sancerre Blanc Vieilles Vignes 2006
• Sancerre Rouge 2006 These three wines are available from Jack Pinson at Domaine la Voltonnerie, Crézencyen- Sancerre, 18300. Open 9am-7pm Monday- Saturday. Tel. 02 48 79 00 94 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it |
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