Talk about a Vacheron feeding frenzy: After being sampled on today’s 2018 Sancerre Rouge at the beginning of the year, we told their boutique importer to reserve every bottle available and, I kid you not, in the time it took him to drive from my backyard to his own home, there were zero bottles remaining. We were then forced to wait nearly 10 months for a smaller parcel to arrive.

That’s become the heartbreaking standard for these divine Pinot Noirs—their brilliant interplay of Chambolle-Musigny polish, Willamette Valley ripeness, and Burgundy-surpassing minerality are no longer contained to the radars of connoisseurs and sommeliers. So, I may as well just come out and say it: When it comes to Sancerre Rouge, I don’t think it gets any better than Domaine Vacheron, and I'll even go one step further and put this on the shortlist of France’s top sub-$50 Pinot Noirs. This isn’t the first time we’ve felt this way about Vacheron’s reds. It’s also not the first time we’ve said this is the best vintage we’ve ever tried—something that needs to be emphatically restated today. This 2018 is an exceptionally refined and plush Pinot Noir that will seduce a crowd now or coolly weather many years of cellaring, all at a price that (always) feels too good to be true. It’s an absolute marvel. Go big. 

A common refrain you hear from great winegrowers is that you plant vineyards not for yourself, but for your children. Established in 1900, the third generation—cousins Jean-Dominique and Jean-Laurent Vacheron—now oversees its 50 hectares across Sancerre’s top climats, of which only 11 are dedicated to Pinot Noir. Most of the vines cling to hillsides composed of chalk and flint (a unique regional composition going under the local silex moniker) and range from 30 to 50 years of age. The vineyards have been Certified Organic and Biodynamic since the early 2000s; only natural compost fertilizers are utilized, and no synthetic materials are allowed inside the vineyards. These old vines eke out mineral-laden grapes that teeter on the fulcrum of ripeness, just a few hours west of Burgundy. 

Come harvest, all grapes for their Sancerre Rouge are hand-harvested and brought into the cellar for a gentle maceration. Natural yeast fermentation takes place in wooden vats and stainless steel, before settling into neutral barriques and large foudres—some as old as the domaine itself. The wines go into the bottle unfined, unfiltered, and full of life. Not much else to be said about the winemaking, as all the real work has already been done the previous 11 months leading up to harvest. 

After a 20-minute decant, Vacheron’s 2018 Sancerre Rouge explodes with lush, highly aromatic perfumes of black cherry liqueur, spiced red plum, black raspberry, licorice, potting soil, crushed rock, baking spices, and loose tea. The medium-bodied palate feels like a fusion of top Willamette Valley Pinot and warm-vintage Chambolle—in other words, it’s impossible to resist. The combination of finesse, depth of flavor, and perfume is simply stunning! There’s a sappy richness to the fruit but also a fine texture and tons of perfume on the finish. It is at once lush and tense, silky, and nervy. I think this will age gracefully through its 10th birthday but I doubt my stash will make it that long!