2022 Domaine Andre Neveu Sancerre 'La Manoir' Chavignol 

Given all the other crises we are dealing with these days, the lack of Sancerre doesn’t rank very high. That is, unless you have a true hankering for what might be the world’s best Sauvignon Blanc, of course. The past two vintages of weather-related shortages, then, haven’t been easy to deal with at all! Even with the really great 2022s starting to trickle in, there just ain’t a lot of quality Sancerre or Pouilly-Fume to be had right now! That’s what made it extra exciting to hear about the arrival of Andre Neveu’s glorious La Manoir cuvee.Now run by Andre’s daughter Valerie and her husband Thomas, this top-notch domaine is at the top of its game and La Manoir represents their best foot forward.

Produced from 50-year-old vines planted on a limestone pebble soil in the heart of Chavignol, our favorite production area for Sancerre, this is Sauvignon at its very finest. While not the richest and ripest cuvee in the cellar, La Manoir just might be the most intense with a wonderful bouquet of lemongrass, lychee, gun smoke and green herb, it’s quite round and generous on the palate and long, long, long on a finish that is lip-smacking mineral. You can almost taste the limestone pebbles in the wine. While just-arrived and probably needing a few weeks or so to come around in the cellar, it’s going to be a dynamite wine with dishes like Chavignol’s famous crottin of goat cheese, maybe in an herb salad. Sleek and zingy enough for oysters, it’s also wonderful with richer seafood and lake fare. Grilled stuffed trout comes right to mind. And please do keep a few bottles back as Sancerre like this can age very well and will be imperative to have a few bottles remaining in the cellar lest there be yet another Sancerre ice age in the offing! Good supply now but you never know……