Today’s wine is emblematic of a broader trend at play in many of France’s most iconic wine regions: A generational shift away from “conventional” farming—i.e. farming using chemical inputs—to a more sustainable (and ideally, organic) model.
Sancerre, Chablis, Bordeaux, Champagne…much as we want to believe otherwise, all these regions are still weaning themselves off a serious dependence on herbicides and pesticides. But it is happening, and wines like this resonant, impeccably pure Sancerre from Stéphane Cherrier are the result. It’s a fresh look—literally and figuratively—at an appellation some new-generation wine lovers might be overlooking, thinking it too staid or formulaic. Well, Cherrier is here for you: The purity of fruit, the pulsing energy, and the mineral imprint of today’s 2018 puts it in the company of regional greats like Domaine Vacheron (a SommSelect favorite) and Lucien Crochet. Stéphane is a sixth-generation vigneron whose approach is fast becoming the rule rather than the exception: Vineyard health is everything. As a rugby player, he’s no stranger to physical exertion and spends endless hours working in his vineyards to bring balance back to soil. And it shows in the glass: with its laser beam of acidity, lively interplay of texture and tension, and alluring umami that keeps you coming back, this is a hugely exciting Sancerre discovery!