Sancerre: Combat Fatigue

BY REBECCA GIBB MW | AUGUST 06, 2024

On the first morning of the long summer holidays, the residents of Sancerre awoke to the sound of thunder and the gathering of black storm clouds. In the first half of 2024, the Sancerrois barely had time for their rain jackets to dry before being hurriedly put back on. By the start of July, the sun had failed to make a worthwhile appearance, and the demands of the vineyards were visible on the drawn faces, the unshaven look very much in vogue. Mildew ran rampant, with signs of rot as well as coulure and no respite, particularly for the growing body of organic growers in the appellation. If summer arrived in time, it could still be a good vintage, but there won’t be much of it. You might say it’s lucky that it comes hot on the heels of one of the biggest vintages on record.

Between the rains, the sun shines over the hilltop town of Sancerre.

A Deeper Look at 2023

Two thousand twenty-three may be a “remarkable” year based on the volumes produced. The older generation can’t remember a time when quantity was accompanied by such quality, but that’s a rather kind assessment. Yes, there’s a lot of wine, but the quality is far more varied than we’ve seen in recent years, while 2022 is far more consistent. With so much fruit on the vine, maturity took longer to achieve.

It all started rather well with decent water reserves in the soil, no worrying frosts and good flowering. However, it wasn’t the easiest of seasons, with regular rains keeping the growers on their toes and out in the vineyard to maintain mildew and oidium under control. These challenges now seem child’s play compared with the 2024 season.

The run-in to harvest is always the most crucial time of the grape growers’ year. In 2023, the weather did not give an easy ride. A week-long heatwave from the 18-24 August, pushed some bunches to ripen, while the high temperatures blocked the process for others. It was a waiting game as the grapes edged to ripeness before another week-long heatwave hit the region between 6-13 September, accelerating maturation, increasing the grape sugars and prompting the start of the harvest for many. However, two storms arrived on 17 and 21 September, bringing rains that undid all the sun’s work. The rains diluted and swelled the berries, reducing the sugar content and the acidity levels while causing growers concerns over botrytis.

The result is that many wines in 2023 lack concentration, which is both a reflection of the gargantuan crop and the dilution caused by rainfall before harvest. Rain also lowered acidities; some wines lack the refreshment usually found here. Several producers reported an unexpected malolactic conversion, often during alcoholic fermentation, leading to softer acid profiles. At the lower-priced end of the Sancerre scale – which is high compared with the rest of the world’s Sauvignon Blanc – there’s been some overly enthusiastic use of CO2 at bottling. CO2 is added to provide vivacity and refreshment where it’s missing, leaving these young wines not just spritzy but almost sparkling. Time in bottle may help, but this effect is far more pronounced than I’ve observed before. Gone are the ripe stone fruits of 2022, and it’s a not-unwelcome return to a fresher aromatic profile of Sauvignon Blanc with apple and pears joined by elderflower and boxwood; there’s even a minty thread through the vintage.

Following maturation in 25% new wood, the Dagueneau wines spend 8-10 months in stainless steel, which gives the ripe 2022s line and length.

There are highlights to be had as well as lowlights. Tasting unfinished 2023 wines in tank and barrel from Jean-Philippe Agisson, François Crochet and Vincent Gaudry, among others, it’s clear producers could make concentrated and refined wines in 2023, but it was harder work than usual. There were several ways to reduce yields and intensify the concentration from severe disbudding – a risky bet – or, more commonly, green harvest. However, Sancerre’s red grape, Pinot Noir, received much more attention during green harvesting than the main grape, Sauvignon Blanc. Sauvignon Blanc can carry larger yields and still be Sauvignon-ey, whereas Pinot Noir is much more sensitive to yields. Some of the region’s most respected red producers, Alphonse Mellot, Vincent Pinard and Domaine Vacheron, report cutting as much as half of their Pinot Noir bunches from the vine. When it came to whites, Mellot dropped 25% of the Sauvignon Blanc while François Crochet did two green harvests in his single vineyards. However, the majority ran out of time to green harvest or decided that the costs would be greater than the benefit, choosing instead to make the selection in the winery, using the free-run and first press juice only, rejecting later pressed juice, which is lower in acid and high in vegetal characters.  High-quality producers rejected 5 or 10% of their crop to be made into industrial-grade alcohol; 2023 resulted in a boom year for distilleries.

Early signs are that, despite their best efforts, 2023 won’t be a great red Sancerre vintage. It might be the appellation’s largest red harvest on record, but there were simply too many grapes to achieve full phenolic concentration. There will be plenty of Rosé produced, although they seem to be rather gentle in acidity, so they are best for a short-term prospect. These may be on the market longer than usual as Rosé weather has been in short supply, meaning slow sales.

2022: Pinot Noir Shines

In contrast, the 2022 reds are worthy of your attention. This dry, warm year helped to achieve ripe, rich Pinot Noirs full of substance. While whole bunch is often a stylistic choice, nature plays its part, and in 2022, many producers reported ripe stems, which bring added fragrance and line to the soft, succulent fruit. Growers are adapting to warmer vintages and are learning that less is more, resulting in a 2022 vintage that, despite the season’s conditions, does not show elevated alcohol as in 2018 or 2020.

For a deeper understanding of Pinot Noir in the appellation, read my December 2022 article, Sancerre Sees Red.

A Note on 2022 Whites

Long-standing Sancerre drinkers will find these wines far from classic, with ripe stone fruit and soft acidity. Two thousand twenty-two is not a legendary year, particularly with the elevated prices that these wines are now fetching. However, 2022 is more homogenous than 2021 and 2023 – it was certainly easier to make good wine in 2022 with less variable quality. The finest domaines that use a long élevage are now releasing their wines on the market. They negotiated the drought and heat, producing some exceptional, potentially long-lived wines. For more information on the vintage, read last year’s article, Sancerre’s Charm Offensive.

Forget Sauvignon Blanc; It’s all about the different terroirs for the producers of Pouilly-Fumé and Sancerre, including Jonathan-Didier Pabiot.

Sancerre’s Established Stars (A to Z)

The domaines I’ve chosen below represent well-established names that continue to strive for greatness every year.

Domaines:

Alphonse Mellot, Claude Riffault, Didier Dagueneau, Edmond Vatan, François Cotat, François Crochet, Gérard Boulay, Jonathan Didier Pabiot, Vacheron, Vincent Gaudry, Vincent Pinard.

Rising Stars

Since starting to cover the Loire Valley, a new generation of producers have either reinvigorated their family domaines or started from scratch. Here’s my Super Seven (A to Z): 

Domaines:

Du Bouchot, Delaporte, Denizot, Fouassier, Paul Prieur et Fils, S & J-P Agisson, Tabordet. 

I tasted the wines for this report mainly in the region in early July 2024, combining producer visits and appellation-wide tastings. Despite numerous attempts to schedule visits with François Cotat and Anne (Edmond) Vatan, they were not available and declined to send samples.

© 2024, Vinous. No portion of this article may be copied, shared or re-distributed without prior consent from Vinous. Doing so is not only a violation of our copyright, but also threatens the survival of independent wine criticism.

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Sancerre’s Charm Offensive, Rebecca Gibb MW, July 2023

Sancerre Sees Red, Rebecca Gibb MW, December 2022

Sancerre: Finding Its Place, Rebecca Gibb MW, August 2022