Sorry, I missed that! Thanks
Gitton makes Sancerre rouge that I think is 100% Pinot Noir. Several different bottlings, I think, although I’ve only tried Les Herses.
-Al
I’ve had some Alphonse Mellot which I thought was really great but looking at prices now seems absurd.
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Vacheron La Belle Dame is worth seeking out!
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Complices de Loire (FX Barc) used to be a good value Touraine Pinot Noir. A few producers in the Louis-Dressner book do Pinot Noir but think they might be getting natty: Les Vins Contés (Olivier Lemasson), Le Clos du Tue-Bœuf, and Pierre-Olivier Bonhomme. Don’t have much experience with Sancerre rouge. More by way of Sancerre rosé made from Pinot Noir. Never really considered Sancerre rouge as a value play.
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To be honest I don’t think there’s much PN that’s brilliant and a value play at this point. The massive rise of Burgundy prices has really widely impacted the PN market in my opinion.
The Dressner producers are all relatively ‘old-school’ at this point and have cleaned up the winemaking. Yes it’s still in the fresh natural style, but they are no longer the young guns making quirky unstable wines. Need to go elsewhere for that these days.
Words like “brilliant” and “value play” are very subjective. No, there isn’t a $20 version of DRC knocking around. But Burgundy’s inflation is very uneven and geared towards a short list of fashionable labels.
Even better, as mentioned above, German PN is remarkable value at the moment. I think many of us fans would hesitate to call it a “replacement” for Burgundy, because even if the wines share the structural similarities of the PN grape, the flavors are textures are different. But that’s the whole point of wine, enjoying different expressions of grape/vineyard/vintage, etc.
FWIW, red and rosé Sancerre is always 100% Pinot Noir. The appellation doesn’t allow any other red varieties.
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I drink Puzelat a lot when I am in France. The whole range unquestionably has a ‘natural’ feel but they are clean and consistent.
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One estate worth trying is Domaine Henry Pellé - Menetou Salon. I’ve really enjoyed some of their PNs, notably Morogues Les Cris.
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Thanks
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I’ll have to check them out!
I like the full range, including the Sauvignon Blanc which isn’t a grape I often like. They’ve developed a pretty loyal following in France and they’re not always easy to track down.
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I remember enjoying Thomas-Labaille’s L’Authentique in the past but it was a while ago.
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Thanks!
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Grabbed some Mellot 2020 Demoiselle Rouge from an online retailer at ca 45 per, and found it very enjoyable. Sous bois driven already at this young age—even a touch of brett, which I find charming but certainly is a hot take. Still, it was vibrant, silky, and light red fruit pronounced. Sadly 14.5% abv, but you cannot have it all—the EtOH was hidden at any rate, nor is this anywhere close to a ripe fruit bomb. Would compare it to a Dundee Hills PN, and if pressed, I’d even go so far as comparing it to 2014 or ‘15 Clos Electrique Rouge as drinking today (not four years after bottling, as is the case for the Mellot). High praise in my opinion. Dug it enough to reorder a case, which is also to say I found it to be a good value.
In your search for Sancerre Rouge, you’ll prob come across Hippolyte Reverdy. They are also well made wines, and in the same 40ish price point. The 2020 Reverdy, as a comparison to the Mellot, skews towards riper dark red fruit that is focused on purity and grace, and as a result is a pop, pour, and enjoy without contemplation bottle. It is more of a crowd pleaser, whereas the Mellot is more divisive with its tertiary characteristics.
Let us know what you have unearthed over the past year!
Vacheron - I’ve only had Belle Dame once, but I didn’t think it was better than the basic Sancerre Rouge, which is quite good and much less expensive.
Lucien Crochet
I like these, but I don’t think they’re better values than Burgundy, even now.
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Not quite Loire and closer to Chablis is Irancy.
The Wine House in SF has versions from Domaine Verret. It’s 95% pinot with Cesar and Tressot allowed. The Palette is excellent.
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