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Sancerre can, indeed, produce some truly magical wines. Its myriad personalities, its depth of character and its potential for aging and gaining nuance in the bottle have all, though, perhaps been obscured by an appellation that seems more interested in capitalizing on its current fame and feeding the resulting volumetric demand than showcasing its best wines. But the pure Sauvignon Blanc grown on these totally unique compositions of limestone was once the stuff served to kings and queens, alongside the best wines from Burgundy, Champagne and the Mosel, and cellared alongside humanity’s greatest oenological treasures.

And then there is Vincent Gaudry. Mentioned among the greats of the region (right up there with Dagueuneau, the Cotats, the Vatans and all the rest), Vincent’s timeless approach to each of his precious vineyards and his passion for ‘bottling the wisdom of the old vines’ unlocks almost forgotten levels of character, acting as perhaps one of the most vivid reminders of Sancerre’s historic heights and future potential. Vincent and Séverine Gaudry biodynamically farm just 11 hectares and produce fewer than 2,000 bottles (not cases) of their top wines, which are all bottled, corked and labeled by hand. So while you don’t see Sancerre at these kinds of prices every day, it’s also not every day that you see Gaudry’s truly limited, single-parcel wines that redefine our perception of an entire appellation.

Let’s take Gaudry’s Constellation du Scorpion as an example. Named after Vincent’s astrological sign, ‘Constellation du Scorpion’ is one of his top cuvées, made from the lieu-dit Les Bouloises in the Sancerre village of Saint-Satur, a perfect southwest-exposed slope just under a small forest, planted in dense, heavy, ferrous Silex soils. Near the top of the vineyard are boulders of red silex, with fist-sized rocks in the center portion and smaller chips toward the bottom. It is one of the most difficult-to-farm parcels in Sancerre. The vines average 30 years of age and were planted from a massale selection of old clones from Vincent’s iconic Melodie Vieilles Vignes vineyard.

This young, exuberant Sancerre shows notes of flinty smoke, white flowers, mint and basil, along with bright citrus fruit. On the palate, the salty minerality takes center stage with outstanding acidity, structure, and body. The silex seems to bring more tension here, a deep texture with bright undertones. The extremely low yields of this vineyard are on display in the exceptionally long finish.

It is a superb food wine that will improve in bottle for many years if you let it. Keep it on the same rack as the 2023 white Burgundy you’re cellaring. Alas, we get 24 bottles to share with the world.