| |
| |
The Insider's $17.99 Sancerre You Don't Want to Miss!
Plus a Rosé from the same producer...
|
Sauvignon Blanc from the French region of Sancerre has become extremely popular in recent years, and for good reason. The best bottles of Sancerre are deliciously dry and refreshing, and they're also pretty darn interesting with chalky minerality, tasty fruit flavors and mouthwatering zestiness. As demand for Sancerre has grown around the world, unfortunately, so has pricing.
One exception, familiar to Vin Chicago fans, has been Domaine des Côtes Blanches. For five years now, this direct-to-Vin Chicago import has been our hands down best value Sancerre, and though we order as much as the producer will allow, we can't keep it in stock for more than a few months.
The 2017 vintage has just arrived, and it continues the tradition of high quality and crazy low price. We expect it will, once again, fly off the shelf. And, we're also excited today to have something even more rare from Domaine des Côtes Blanches - a
100% Pinot Noir Sancerre Rosé. This yummy dry pink wine is also an extremely affordable $17.99 and won't be around long!
|
2017
Domaine des Côtes Blanches
Sancerre
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
François and Monique Millet, along with son Nicolas, farm 40 acres of Sauvignon Blanc along the banks of the Loire River. They've named their wines "Côtes Blanches" after the chalk strewn soils that make this region so famous. There's a good reason why wine lovers often describe Sauvignon Blanc from Sancerre as having a chalk-like mineral flavor!
With tantalizing flavors of pink grapefruit, tangerine, green apple and guava, this 2017 Sancerre is a totally delicious wine. A few swirls bring out even more nuance, including green bell pepper tones and a core of salty chalk. The bright and super lively finish makes this a bottle you can't put down, with or without food.
We've opened and enjoyed multiple bottles of this wine, including a deeply chilled one on a SWELTERING
Tuesday night. The wine really delivered!
While most Sancerre is in the $22 to $27 range, our direct import relationship with the producer allows the Côtes Blanches to be a serious outlier. Looking online we found only three listings for this wine. Our price beats them all. Bang-for-the-buck and Sancerre are not terms that are often used together. This is a rare exception. We expect that lovers of Sancerre and drinkers of all types of Sauvignon Blanc will load up on this one by the case.
|
2017
Domaine des Côtes Blanches
Sancerre Rosé
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thankfully, the Millets also bottle an excellent Sancerre Rosé. Made entirely from estate-grown Pinot Noir, this extremely delicious wine is back again, and the value is off the charts!
As refreshing as the white and almost as brisk, this pink wine leads off with flavors of juicy cherry, Fuji apple and raspberry. The chalky mineral tones work great with the light tannin and medium-plus acidity, making for a perfect partner at the table with almost anything - and it drinks great all by itself too.
When we tell people we have a
Rosé from Sancerre, we often get quizzical looks. Few people know that roughly 20% of this region's production is Pinot Noir. Rosé from Pinot Noir makes up just a small - but quite tasty - portion of that figure.
Given the depth of flavor, the balance and the overall enjoyability of this wine, the $17.99 price makes it a steal. And, as is the case with many of the better bottlings of Rosé, you can expect a bit of longevity from this one.
One of our team members recently opened a 2016 Côtes Blanches Rosé and it was singing, offering bright fruit and chalky minerality along with a bit more complexity than it had upon release.
Your pink wine drinking friends will love this Sancerre Rosé, that is if you decide to share it. Given the price and the year-plus drinking window, it is another one to try by the case!
|
If you cannot see a yellow button, please either click here,
or contact us at 773-791-7936 for assistance. |
|
| |
|
| |
|
