The first impression on the nose is stony, ungiving complexity, a wine that one will have to work at to unravel. There is not a lot of fruit in the austere bouquet; on the palate, and with a little airing, apples and quince begin to come through, even though those flinty notes remain the overriding characteristic. The acid is not overwhelming as it can sometimes be in Sancerre; more just a prick at the end of the palate. It also seems pretty alcoholic; we check, and discover it is a whacking 15%. The more we spend time on this, the more the extremely good structure becomes clear.
I guess – and later confirm – that this has been barrel-fermented in old oak barrels. It’s not that it tastes typically of oak (and so it must have been old oak, which imparts little if any flavour) but because the stony, slightly smoky complexity is so typical of those (relatively few) Sauvignons that have seen oak.
The best Sancerre I’ve ever had? With time, a cleansing note of mint shows through, and a suggestion of salami – most curious in a white. This is still very young, and wines of this class can open immensely, and unrecognisably – one to come back to in 5 years.
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