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With the weather getting cold so quickly (did we blink and miss Fall?), wine drinkers have a tendency to make the switch from white to red wines. But before you pack up your whites with the flip-flops, you may want to check this Sancerre that knocked our socks off. Sancerre is a white wine, from the Loire Valley in France, made with Sauvignon Blanc grapes. They are crisp and vibrant with citrus and floral notes. The wine that we tried that rekindled our love for Sancerre was the Philippe Raimbault Sancerre Apud Sariacum 2003. At a cost of $21, this wine backs a lot of bang for its buck.
Flavor profile:
What made this wine stand out was how it unfolded as you drank it. The nose (aromas) was intense with bright citrus fruits like grapefruit and lime. As we took a sip the citrus fruits came to life on the palette along with some floral and mineral notes. As we continued to drink the wine we noticed some herb and earthy notes. Whew, all of that from one glass of wine (fine it was 3 glasses, but after the first we couldn’t help ourselves).
A perfect match:
The great acidity in this wine lends perfectly to food pairings. Our favorite combination is simply Sancerre and goat cheese. The acidity and earthy characteristics of the wine brings out the full flavors of the goat cheese. This wine also goes well with seafood.
Where to get it:
We bought ours at Astor Wines but should available in most wine stores. It is also on the wine list at Blue Ribbon.
You never know when a wine will surprise you. This Sancerre was bursting with flavor and left a lasting impression…more than we can say for Fall. Which is why we ask, what was the last wine that surprised you?
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It's pretty warm today and for this week, maybe you should have saved this for next week.
I know, foiled by the weather! Well, all the better for drinker Sancerre.
I'm actually surprised you found the acidity crisp. 2003 was an extreme and atypical year in the Loire Valley, as well as througout Europe, that saw record high temperatures for prolonged periods of time that aside from roasting the acidity out of most wines, in many reds led to an unusual situation where the fruit got roasted, but the tannins remained unripe.
Unfortunately, the heat was also responsible for the death of about 15,000 people in France and about 35,000 throughout Europe.
I agree with you about the food matches. Love goat cheese with it.
If you're interested in trying something different, but great, Astor sells another terrific Loire Valley wine, the '02 Cazin- Cour-Cheverny, made from an obscure grape called Romarantin. 2002 was an exceptional year in the Loire and if you're looking for acidity, that wine has it in spades, along with terrific fruit.
Cheers.
I love this wine, but like wineman I don't find it all that crisp. (And true about the reds - gonna be a weird vintage.)
Re pairings: don't stop at goat cheese, it's great with veined cheeses and sheep's milk cheeses, too. Also with aged emmenthaler and other "nutty" cheeses.
I prefer this wine with shellfish - esp. lobster - over fin fish.
Great find!
You guys are the 55808 best, thanks so much for the help.