White wines from the Loire

Because bad weather drastically reduced yields in Sancerre in the 2021 vintage, 75 cl bottles of the Cherrier family's Sancerre are unavailable until further notice.

A perennial favourite, this delicately flavoured, chalky, French Sauvignon is fresh and lively on the palate with intense flavours of grapefruit, herbs and green apple.

Sancerre and goat’s cheese is a match made in heaven, although the wine goes very well too with light-bodied fish like sole, or a simple roast chicken.

Sancerre is the Loire’s most famous appellation, producing distinctively smoky, flinty Sauvignon. In the Eastern Loire, in fact, many people refer to Sauvignon as blanc fumé.

Until phylloxera wiped out most of the vineyards in the mid nineteenth century, Sancerre grew mostly red grapes Gamay and Pinot Noir. But, in the aftermath of the louse infestation, Sauvignon proved more amenable to grafting than these red varieties, and so it subsequently surged ahead of its two dark-skinned rivals. (The rest is history!)

Limestone and flint are the two most important soil types in Sancerre, both having great heat-retaining and light-reflecting properties, which help the grapes to ripen in what is viticulturally a cold region.

Intense, lemony Touraine with lip-smacking freshness and oodles of grapefruit, gooseberry, and nettle flavours. Clean and bright, with nice weight for this style.
Drink as an aperitif or with salads, tangy cheeses (e.g. goat's), fish, chicken, or curry.

The 2018 vintage was awarded a gold medal at the 2019 Concours Mondial du Sauvignon.

Christophe Godet and his wife Nathalie manage the day-to-day running of the vineyards and cellar.

‘…elegant, moderately pungent, with a lovely mineral streak’
Tom Doorley, Irish Mail on Sunday, May 2020

‘This Touraine Sauvignon is slightly softer than others, making it a bit easier to drink without food. It has flavours of apple, citrus and peppery spice with a lovely mineral acidity. A good alternative to pricier Sancerre.’
[2016 vintage] 88/100 James Button, Decanter, March 2017

Crisp and refreshing Loire Sauvignon with a bright nose of freshly-mown grass and citrus, and a clean, zingy palate of green apples, herbs and stony minerals. Clean, dry finish. Just gorgeous!
Drink with oysters, shellfish, fish, poultry and goat's cheese.

The Wine Guide - "Lovely, cool-climate Sauvignon, with classic, youthful, grassy green apples, a rich midpalate and a refreshing apricot finish."

98/100 Loire Buyers' Selection

A fuller expression of Muscadet sur lie, this wine is made from the fruit of vines between forty and sixty years old, and has the typical focus and clean persistence of its mica schist terroir.

There is added intensity in its precise fruit flavours thanks to a little bottle age and the character of those old vines.

‘Hyper classic aromas of crushed oyster shells, preserved lemon, tangerine zest, and mountain stream moss. The palate is a blast of maritime flavors particularly focusing on zippy citrus and finishing with an explosive blast of iodine.’
Loire Valley Wines Buyers' Selection, 2021 Edition [2018 vintage]

‘A benchmark example, very clean with citrus understones to the pure fruit and mineral bouquet. Persistent and fruity on the palate with a refreshing acidity to balance’

All the lively intensity of Loire Sauvignon Blanc, with expressive currant and cut grass aromas and lingering, focused fruit flavours.

Immediately appealing and very easy to enjoy on its own or with a variety of foods, especially fish and seafood dishes.

‘This wine from Vallet has been aged for three years. That gives its richness a boost and introduces minerality, spice and intensity. The wine is packed with fruit and tightly textured.’
92/100 Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast

A one-off in each vintage released, this wine is part of winemakers Amélie and Vincent's collection privée of limited-production wines exploring possibilities outside the typical styles and varieties of the region. 

Substantial, but fresh and precise, this is a very special Muscadet, with white pepper and ginger notes and the special purity and silkiness of texture that often comes from wines aged in ceramic 'eggs' rather than stainless steel or oak.

It's a magnificent wine for seafood, with an intensity and freshness perfectly suited to fruits de mer and seasoned fish dishes, where its spicy crispness and depth of flavour make a mouth-watering match.