Les Fontenelles Sancerre 2022

There is Sauvignon Blanc, and then there is Fontenelles Sancerre. 

Most of us associate Sauvignon Blanc with summer “patio-pounders” – quick drinking, fresh and light tropically flavored wines.  But there is a whole other world of Sauvignon Blanc, and as Napa Cabernet is not to be confused with Chilean Cabernet, Sancerre is not to be confused with a simple Sauvignon Blanc. 

Sancerre is a region on the far inland side of the Loire Valley, up from Nantes, past Vouvray and Saumur and nearly into the heart of France.  And it is this place – a set of steep slopes of Kimmeridgean Marl soils - that produces a wine like no other.  Our example is the producer Fontenelles Sancerre. 

The first sensations are of mango and papaya followed by fresh ginger, hints of Kaffir lime leaf and raita layered across the nose.  The soil is completely Kimmeridgean Marl, a fossilized sea-life chalk that imparts a grandly stated aromatic complexity of green poivre, wildflower aromas of asperge des bois, bluebells and Moutarde noire.  Texture rules this palate: a chiseled, finely etched chalk, drying the mouth, yet with citrus-inspired aromas mingling in candied lemons, poached white fruits, and a lingering lift of pepper.  It completes you, intrigues you and satisfies you like a long, contumacious conversation at sunset.   

One more simple thought - get yourself a piece of goat cheese on a baguette, a bottle of Fontenelles Sancerre, and sit outside on the grass, warmed by the sun.  This will bring you a reward beyond its weight in gold.  There is Sauvignon Blanc, and then there is Sancerre.