If you know Sauvignon Blanc, it’s easy to assume you know Sancerre. But even the most die-hard devotees of these fresh, mineral wines can be surprised by a particularly envelope-pushing bottle. Taste today’s ripe, multi-layered, mouth-wateringly zesty Sancerre from Vincent Gaudry and you’ll see what I mean. It’s the purest, most textured Sancerre I’ve swirled around my palate in recent memory.
How can you possibly pack that much flavor into 750 milliliters? Gaudry will tell you it’s not winemaking—it’s nature. Trust your land, take care of it, and you’ll be rewarded with wine so distinctive that it sets the bar for an entire region, and maybe an entire variety. So whether you love Sancerre or not, love Sauvignon Blanc or not...you owe it to yourself to try this bottle. Ninety-year-old, biodynamically farmed Sauvignon Blanc is hard to find, and there’s a reason we only have a microscopic quantity to share with you. Loire Valley insiders will be quick to list Vincent among the most passionate, hands-on Sancerre growers of all time. So move fast, find some oysters, and get ready to be surprised, delighted, educated...you name it.
Gaudry signs off his emails with “organically yours.” It might sound cutesy, but spend five minutes with him and you’ll realize he is completely serious. The man is fervently devoted to sustainable farming and his passion imbues his wines and correspondence alike. He inherited his estate from his father in 1993 at the ripe age of 18 and has poured his heart and soul into its well-being every day since. The domaine is based in Sury-en-Vaux, one of the bucolic satellite villages that surround the hilltop of Sancerre. This is ground zero for the world’s definitive Sauvignon Blanc.
Vincent succeeded in converting the estate to organics within two years of taking the reins. He achieved coveted Demeter biodynamic certification in 2004, and has caused quite a few ripples in the biodynamic community since. A fierce autodidact, Vincent questions the efficacy of certain practices while championing others, like only using barrels that were cut and shaped according to the lunar calendar (he believes the moon’s gravity affects the wood’s density). Ultimately, he’s on a quest. Vincent dances on the cutting edge of sustainable farming because he’s hell-bent on producing the most beautiful, terroir-driven Sauvignon Blanc in the world.
And it’s working: each Vincent Gaudry wine shines like a raw emerald. He plants vines carefully according to the three different soil types available on property: terres blanches (clay and limestone), silex, and caillottes (rubble-like limestone). Today’s “Mélodie des Vieilles Vignes” comes from 50-90-year-old Sauvignon Blanc vines deeply rooted in Kimmeridgian limestone-clay slopes. They’re dry-farmed and horse-plowed, with minimal tilling and maximum cover-crop pushing up exuberantly between the rows. The winemaking is attentive but hands-off. Vincent modernized the winery with temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks for native yeast fermentations. “Mélodie de Vieilles Vignes” is aged on lees in oak vats before being bottled unfined and unfiltered according to the lunar calendar. And that poetic name? It means “melody of the old vines” and it fits like a glove: this wine sings.
Tasting this bottle makes you wonder how it’s even possible to concentrate flavors with such intensity and purpose. It’s guaranteed to expand your definition of Sancerre with waves of gorgeous, fleshy fruit stuffed into a tight mineral frame. I smelled green pear first, before a riper whiff of quince and fresh lime blossom. But there’s so much more here: a faint smokiness, wet herbs, flint, and chamomile tea. The texture is silky, elegant, and ripe. The lees aging imparts a little weight—-just enough to balance out the rigidity of minerals and clean, high acidity. I could drink it all day, especially as the sun hangs in the sky a bit longer and there’s more time to open a second bottle. Pair with something fresh—Vietnamese spring rolls stuffed with shrimp, glass noodles, and crunchy veggies. My mouth is watering just thinking about it! Enjoy!
