Sauvignon Blanc: Sancerre & Pouilly-Fumé

Sancerre

This is the most famous appellation in Central Loire Valley. Part of Sancerre's fame may be due to the fact that, like Chinon, this is one of those names that rolls off the tongue so easily. That is not to say, however, that the wine does not have merits. It is not difficult to make a convincing argument that this is the greatest conceivable expression of Sauvignon Blanc. The appellation, for white Sancerre specifically, was created in 1936. Including Sancerre, which with its hilltop position dominates the local landscape, there are fourteen communes eligible for the appellation. These largely spread out to the west, the Loire lying to the east, and incorporate important sites for the appellation including the villages of Maimbray and Chavignol, the latter being noted for a celebrated goat's cheese as much as for the quality of its wines. Of these fourteen communes, five: Bannay, Ménétréol-sous-Sancerre, Saint-Satur, Thauvenay and Veaugues, are authorised for white wine only (100% Sauvignon Blanc). As for terroir, the fourteen communes see a mix of three distinct types. First there is caillottes, chalky soils which are very typical of the region and account for about 40% of the appellation, and are said to yield wines with god aromatics. Then there is terres blanches, Kimmeridgian marly soils dominated by limestone and clay which cover another 40%; perhaps more reminiscent of the soils of Chablis than Sancerre, and they are also readily associated with Pouilly-Fumé. in Sancerre these soils are more common to the west of the appellation, including well-known sites such as Les Monts Damnés and the Côte de Beaujeu, and they give structured wines that need cellaring. Finally there is silex, or flint, which accounts for 20% of the vineyards. This terroir is concentrated around Sancerre, St-Satur, Ménétréol-sous-Sancerre and Thauvenay in the east, closer to the river.

White Sancerre comes in varying styles, although broadly speaking they are fresh and balanced wines, with some minerality, which pair well with seafood amongst other things. Some domaines offer more serious wines, from one of the many lieux-dits, or perhaps utilising old vines, but they remain true to type. One or two involve wood, during fermentation or even ageing, although these wines are certainly in the minority. By and large the white wines are best drunk within a few years of the vintage, a maxim now rather long in the tooth but one that I still adhere to in many cases; but beware - there are also a number of cuvées that will do well in the cellar.

Pouilly-Fumé

Pouilly sits on the opposite bank of the Loire to Sancerre, and gives rise to two wines, the almost universally known Pouilly-Fumé, and the almost universally unknown Pouilly-sur-Loire. The former is the wine for which Pouilly is now famous, pure Sauvignon Blanc (which now accounts for over 95% of all the vineyards, in excess of 1000 hectares), whereas the latter is made from Chasselas, once a very significant variety in the town, now more of an oddity, accounting for just 38 hectares at the last count. Neither are to be confused with Pouilly-Fuissé, however, which originates from the Pouilly to the west of Mâcon, in Burgundy, and which is naturally 100% Chardonnay.

Pouilly-Fumé is often said to have a distinctive smoky, minerally, gunflinty character; some taking the description to the most pungent extreme. Nevertheless many are not, some displaying a grassy and grapefruit character that makes them quite indistinguishable from Sancerre. There are seven eligible communes, and it is often heard that there are more obvious differences between individual communes in Sancerre and Pouilly than there are between the two appellations themselves. The soils here tend to have more clay than those of Sancerre, although they are largely sandy or gravelly, over Kimmeridgien or Oxfordien limestone, and any discernible differences may be ascribed to this.

Source: http://www.thewinedoctor.com