Our Frank Rothstein writes:  Tasting the 2022 Merlin-Cherrier Sancerre Grand Chemarin was a trip down memory lane because it brought to mind my visit to the property a few years ago; a trip sponsored by their importer/distributor.  Our tour through the Loire Valley, Champagne and Chablis covered a lot of territory, but the stop at Merlin-Cherrier was definitely a high point.  We were on a very tight schedule and our visit with owners, Thierry and Sophie Merlin, was only supposed to be about an hour and a half.  After a wonderful tasting and a drive to the top of the Grand Chemarin vineyard in Thierry’s restored WWII Jeep, we came back to the house and discovered a fabulous lunch spread, catered by a local restaurant, complete with table service and a range of delicious wines from Thierry’s cellar.  Of course, we couldn’t simply rush off to our next appointment so after cancelling our afternoon agenda, we stayed for a sumptuous two-hour luncheon.  It was truly memorable and a testament to the graciousness of our hosts.  Thierry is a fourth-generation winegrower in the Sancerre region, situated near the village of Bué, one of the finest districts for high quality Sauvignon Blanc (and Pinot Noir) thanks to the unique mix of soil types in the surrounding hillsides.  He made his first estate wine in 1982 and now, with the help of his daughter, Agathe, farms 14 hectares of vines, spread out over 30 distinct parcels. Growing grapes at the higher elevations of Bue has its risks with cool, damp weather and windy conditions.  The trade-off is the incredible limestone-rich soil that contributes to the brilliance of Merlin-Cherrier’s wines. Chalky clay, marl soil, with a mixture of pebbles and a streak of quartz, gives the wines their amazing lift while, at the same time, laying down a solid, balanced structure of fruit, alcohol and acidity.  The aforementioned Grand Chemarin is one of the crown jewel lieu dits of Sancerre and is one of the appellation’s outstanding example of Caillottes terroir (aka, Oxfordian limestone, an older, rockier limestone than Kimmeridigian with less clay in its marls and one that in wine translates into more perfume and broader delicacy). The vineyard grows on a south-facing plateau above Bué where the sun always shines if it is shining anywhere in the neighborhood, and this plateau has supported vines for many a century—possibly as far back as the Roman Occupation.  For years, the fruit from this pebbly site was the staple component of the winery’s excellent blended Sancerre but, in 2018, Thierry kept a portion he really loved separate and he’s been making the cuvee ever since.  Spontaneously fermented, half is raised in steel while the other half ages in foudre and barrel, giving the finished wine a nice bit of texture to go with all of the other seductive qualities we love in Sancerre.  Bravo, Thierry and Agathe! Oysters anyone?