Sancerre is a lovely wine made in the Loire Valley, a crisp white made primarily from Sauvignon Blanc… except when it’s not. They also make red wine in Sancerre, from Pinot Noir grapes, in total comprising about 20% of the region’s production.

Red Sancerre, or “Sancerre Rouge,” is virtually unheard-of in the U.S. due to being overshadowed by the big boys in Burgundy. Though it’s stylistically quite a bit different, Sancerre’s Pinots still hang onto some of that sense of terroir, with occasionally bright fruit showing through.

We tried two currently available bottlings to see what the fuss (or lack of it) was all about. Thoughts follow.

2008 La Croix du Roy Sancerre Rouge – Light color, a somewhat dainty-looking wine. Somewhat herbacious, slight mushroomy nose. The body, though, offers bright, tart cherry and raspberry character, punctuated with notes of tea and licorice root. The finish is quite acidic, washing away some of the big fruit notes. B / $30

2010 Jerome Gueneau Le Clos Chartier Sancerre Rouge – Less well-crafted than the La Croix du Roy, this Sancerre features more pruny, raisin-driven notes, with intense herbal qualities. The wine opens up after a while to reveal more sultry, berry-driven fruit, but the initial texture is thin and the finish somewhat saccharine. B- / $20

2008 La Croix du Roy Sancerre Rouge

$30

8

Rating

8.0/10

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Christopher Null

Christopher Null is the founder and editor in chief of Drinkhacker. A veteran writer and journalist, he also operates Null Media, a bespoke content creation company.

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