2023 Francois Crochet Sancerre Le Chene Marchand, Loire Valley

The 2023 Le Chêne Marchand is a full, mouth-filling style with excellent texture and line. Despite its expansive, ripe nature, this is not heavy. One of the first sites picked by Crochet, it displays an intensely chalky texture. That chalkiness is joined by appetizing flavors of lemon balm and a hint of herbaceousness. It is impeccably balanced, with satisfying, sinewy tension. This is so far removed from the average Sauvignon Blanc.

95 points, Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous

François Crochet is one of Sancerre's most respected vignerons, crafting wines that beautifully express the individuality of the region's finest vineyard sites. Le Chêne Marchand is widely regarded as one of Sancerre's great terroirs, its Kimmeridgian limestone soils producing Sauvignon Blanc of remarkable precision, depth and longevity. Through meticulous vineyard work and thoughtful winemaking, Crochet allows this exceptional site to speak with clarity and elegance.

The vineyard sits on the celebrated limestone slopes near Bué, where fossil rich soils and a cool continental climate create ideal conditions for slow ripening and vibrant natural acidity. The superb 2023 vintage delivered fruit of outstanding purity and concentration, resulting in a wine that combines the freshness Sancerre is renowned for with impressive texture and complexity.

The colour is a brilliant pale straw with green highlights. Aromas of grapefruit, white peach and preserved lemon are layered with elderflower, crushed oyster shell, flint and delicate herbal notes. The palate is finely textured and beautifully focused, with pristine citrus and stone fruit framed by chalky minerality and mouthwatering acidity. Subtle smoky complexity and saline freshness build through a long, refined finish that lingers with exceptional precision and a profound sense of place.

Magnificent with freshly shucked oysters, grilled lobster, pan seared scallops, sushi, goat's cheese or asparagus with beurre blanc. While captivating in its youth, this outstanding Sancerre will continue to gain complexity and nuance over the next ten to fifteen years.