Good Sancerre is such an important staple in any wine fridge and we love to drink it with so many kinds of food. But Mother Nature dictates how much good Sancerre there can be out there, and she’s been very parsimonious over the past few harvests subjecting these poor Sauvignon Blanc grapes, in turn, to bitter frosts, pelting hail and searing heat. What little Sancerre there was in 2020 and 2021 didn’t made it far from France, and what did ship was subject to the shipping delays that became so routine during the pandemic! But the logjam has finally been broken in the form of the very, very good 2022s and now even a smattering of more classically styled 2023s. Hurray! There’s good Sancerre to be had and we’ve been enjoying the heck out of them! Along with the almost-gone-for-the- vintage 2022 Paul Prieur, our favorite still is Isabelle Garrault’s wonderful Les Grand Monts. A fresh delivery of the just-released 2023 has just arrived and we’re back in the Garrault business again! Isabelle is well placed to create the perfect Sancerre Blanc. She’s the ninth-generation Garrault to farm her family’s vineyards which are now well over 40 years old, and she employs a delicate touch, employing a gentle, artisanal approach to her Sauvignon Blanc that showcases the wonderful minerality and ephemeral texture so prized in this part of the Loire Valley. She farms carefully, hand harvests everything, and keeps her wine entirely in stainless steel to protect its freshness, pop and texture. Les Grands Monts is named for the hill on which it was grown; one of the most famous spots in all the entire Loire. It’s indeed Grand- a steep slope of chalky Terre Blanche and Caillotes soils that run 400 meters almost straight up from the river. This just-arrived shipment of the 2023 is everything we love in Sancerre….zing, bouquet, plenty of flavor and wonderful sense of elegance. Its fresh acidity and overt minerality are at the fore right now, but as it warms in your glass, the prettiness of its lemon verbena-scented pear and delicate yellow cherry-like fruit emerges. Do try and cook to it as it’ll be the perfect white to enjoy all year long with all kinds of fare. . Its raciness and mineral background will only enhance a warm goat cheese salad with plenty of herbs or a smoked trout salad with favas or pea shoots. In spring, if it ever comes this year, shave some raw fresh asparagus and top it with plenty of good Parmigiano. Yummy! But you’ll want it this winter too when the crabs and oysters are at their best! Looking forward to Isabelle’s wonderful 2023 Sancerre Rose too. Made from 100% Pinot Noir, it promises to be a lovely, lilting dry pink with a ton of character. Stay tuned. It’ll be here soon.