Sancerre

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• Two north–south faults, known as the 'Sancerre fault' and the 'Thauvenay fault', run through the vineyard, bringing Jurassic strata into contact with Cretaceous and Eocene formations.
• The 'terres blanches' — Kimmeridgian marls recognisable by their small comma-shaped oyster shells (ostrea virgula) — occupy mainly the steepest slopes.
• Two further soil types complete the mosaic: caillottes on Oxfordian and Portlandian limestones, and chailloux, a clayey-siliceous soil derived from Cenomanian and Eocene deposits. (via Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0)

• Following the phylloxera crisis, growers chose to replant the vineyard progressively with Sauvignon blanc for the white wines and Pinot noir for the reds and rosés.
• In 1931, a judgement of 20 July reserved the name 'Sancerre' exclusively for wines made from Sauvignon blanc and Pinot noir produced within the delimited geographical zone.

• The white wines typically show a pale gold appearance and an aromatic range spanning fruity notes (citrus, exotic fruits) through to floral notes of white flowers.
• The red wines reveal complex aromas with a dominant character of red fruits, supported by supple tannins, and may be drunk young or cellared depending on the vintage.

• Wines from the caillottes express accents of red fruits and white flowers, those from the terres blanches are powerful, and those from the chailloux or silex offer nuances of white and yellow flowers.

Facts drawn from the cahier's terroir-link section (Lien au terroir) by automatic interpretation — see the source.

Sources

• Product specification (BO Agri, PDF) — approved 25 août 2011, JORF 27 août 2011
• Official INAO text (show_texte)
• INAO product entry
• Official trade body site — BIVC — Vins du Centre-Loire