2011 Sancerre Cuvee A’Dair

I love Sancerre. In case you are unfamiliar, it’s a French Sauvignon Blanc. Basically, in the old world wine countries (France, Spain, and Italy in particular) wine is named not after the grape, but the actual location where the grape is grown, while in new world wine countries (US, Argentina, New Zealand, etc) wines are labelled primarily by the grape itself.

Sancerre is a part of the Loire Valley in France and is famous for its dry white wines. It’s actually what New Zealand winemakers were trying to emulate when they started growing and making Sauvignon Blanc (my favorite Sauvignon Blanc is New Zealand’s Cloudy Bay). In general, the wines of Sancerre are highly acidic, with peaches and citrus notes as well as minerality and a refreshing crispness. That’s what I was hoping for when I picked up this bottle at Costco.

In general, the bottle delivers. Peaches and grapefruit on the nose lead to a tasty white with bright fruit and nice minerality, but lacking the zing  that really makes me love Sancerre. At $15, not a bad price, this is an easy drinker that can accompany food or not. Nothing special, but decent overall.