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Wines
A-Z:
S
is for Sancerre
Flashback
to the 1970s. America is turning 200. Richard
Nixon is President. "The Brady Bunch"
is one of the top-rated programs on TV. And
in better restaurants across the country, particularly
French bistros, Sancerre is the white wine of
choice.
Today,
three decades later, some of the finest white
wines of France - as well as a handful of tasty
reds - come from this region. So, as we continue
our A-to-Z Cyberspace journey through the wonderful
universe of wine... "S" is for "Sancerre."
Sancerre
on the Map
Sancerre
is both a town and a wine region. The town is
situated on a hilltop on the left bank of the
upper Loire River.
Location,
location, location - Being adjacent to a navigable
river such as the Loire helped Sancerre not
only establish itself, but maintain a strong
economy throughout its history. The river served...
and still serves... as a means of transporting
goods - including wine - to other towns and
ports o' call.
Sancerre,
the wine region, surrounds the town and consists
of 14 communes, encompassing numerous microclimates.
The
Lay of the Land
While
there are 14 winemaking communes within its
boundaries, Sancerre consists of three distinct
areas from a geological standpoint:
1.
Near the town of Sancerre - The soils are
rich in flint, and yield perfumed wines that
can age quite nicely.
2.
Western vineyards - The soils here are comprised
of clay and limestone, and produce the most
powerful wines of Sancerre.
3.
Between Sancerre and the western vineyards
- Here the soils are mostly gravel with some
limestone, and the wines typically are quite
delicate.
Throughout
the region, there are gently rolling hillsides
providing a spectrum of sun exposures, as well
as some steeply terraced vineyards.
Sancerre
Wines
The
most famous wines of Sancerre are white, made
primarily from the Sauvignon Blanc grape.
For
many years, Sancerre was thought of as the white
equivalent of Beaujolais - light to medium-bodied
in style, and enjoyable either as a solo sipper
or with a wide array of foods.
The
wine typically is aged in stainless steel barrels,
although some vintners have been experimenting
with oak barrels in recent years. The engaging
flavors include both refreshing fruit and tantalizing
herb notes.
On
the scale of Sauvignon Blanc "raciness,"
Sancerre wines fall somewhere between the fruit-forward
bottlings of California, and the herb-intensive
renditions of New Zealand.
Some
Sancerre winemakers also make light red and/or
rose wines from Pinot Noir, but the whites account
for a vast majority of the region's overall
production.
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