Sancerre is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) for wine produced in the environs of Sancerre in the eastern part of the Loire valley, southeast of Orléans. Almost all of the appellation lies on the left bank of the Loire, opposite Pouilly-Fumé. It is regarded as the spiritual home of Sauvignon Blanc, making wines of great purity and elegance. Some Pinot Noir is grown, making mostly light red wines for quaffing, but at their best they can pa...
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Sancerre is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) for wine produced in the environs of Sancerre in the eastern part of the Loire valley, southeast of Orléans. Almost all of the appellation lies on the left bank of the Loire, opposite Pouilly-Fumé. It is regarded as the spiritual home of Sauvignon Blanc, making wines of great purity and elegance. Some Pinot Noir is grown, making mostly light red wines for quaffing, but at their best they can pass for those from neighbouring Burgundy.
The town lies on an outcrop of the chalk that runs from the White cliffs of Dover down through the Champagne and Chablis. A series of small valleys cut through the chalk, each with their own soils and microclimate, leading to a local obsession with terroir.
In the east are the 'flints' that make minerally, long-lived wines. Between the town and Verdigny the soil consists of marl and gravel - 'les caillottes', producing fruity, well balanced wines. And in the southwest, away from the river towards...
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