Tag: Sancerre

If you like a Sancerre Sauvignon Blanc, why not try a Menetou-Salon wine?

Domaine Olivier Foucher Menetou-Salon 2019/20, Loire

Sancerre Sauvignon Blanc has been a firm favourite of mine since I first tried it sur place as a student many years ago. The refreshing acidity, the aromas of gooseberry, citrus and grass, and the flavours of apple and citrus fruits, with a hint of minerality, tick all the boxes for me.

Just a short distance away to the south-west of Sancerre is the small appellation of Menetou-Salon. Though not as well-known as its neighbour, Menetou-Salon is rapidly establishing a reputation for crisp, refreshing Sauvignon Blanc wines that offer very good value for money.

This wine from Domaine Olivier Foucher, a small 12-hectare estate in Morogues, is a very good example of a quality Menetou-Salon wine. Light in colour, the wine has aromas of blossom with apple and lime on the nose, and flavours of peach and pear on the palate. The grapes are harvested at night to retain freshness, resulting in a lively acidity. This is a well-balanced, multi-layered wine with a lingering, flinty finish.

A perfect wine for a seafood dish – we had it with pan-fried salmon. Or try it with goat’s cheese.

Available from Majestic £16.99 (Mix Six £12.99)

A perfect match for garlic prawns …

The Pebble Sauvignon Blanc, Loire Valley (2020)

The Loire Valley has an abundance of wines to offer, with vineyards growing all along the Loire from Sancerre in the east to the Atlantic Ocean in the west. The four sub-regions traversed by the Loire are subject to different climactic conditions, each suited to specific grape varieties – Sauvignon Blanc in the Central Vineyards and Touraine; Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc in Touraine and Anjou-Saumur; and Melon Blanc in Nantais, for example.

You will find plenty to savour amongst the wines of this region but for me, when I think of the Loire Valley, I think of Sauvignon Blanc and am immediately transported to Sancerre where I spent some time as a student, and Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc wines have been a firm favourite ever since. 

Produced from grapes grown in soils rich in chalk, gravel, limestone and flint of the Sancerre region, The Pebble Sauvignon Blanc is a smooth, dry wine with a refreshing minerality.  With aromas of jasmine, apple and peach on the nose, and flavours of apple, lime and passionfruit on the palate, this is a well-balanced wine with a medium finish.

Try it by itself or with a seafood dish. We enjoyed it with garlic prawns – perfect!

Available from Tesco (£9)

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