2015 Domaine la Clef du Récit Sancerre

It seems like every broker, importer and distributor has a nice Sancerre to show me. Since taking over the Loire category, earlier this year, I have tasted at least fifty different samples. Sancerre is a region with many quality producers but of out of all those wines I tasted, the biggest standout this year is the 2015 Domaine la Clef du Recit. Winemaker Anthony Girard was introduced to us by our friend Nicolas Idiart, himself a winemaker in the Loire. I, personally, love these types of referrals because it puts us in touch with winemakers that other producers are most excited to share. When we tasted the wine we were immediately taken by the vibrant nose of lemon oil, wet hay, and green plums. On the palate, a rich mouthfeel stems partially from the ripeness of the 2015 vintage but also from the Silex (flint) soils that add power and density to the wine. The acid structure and minerality come from the classic les Caillottes (limestone gravel) soils. A resonance of tropicality emerges on the finish with notes of passion fruit and a little dried pineapple. Both of Anthony's exceptional soils are difficult to work in their own ways but the net quality of the wine can most definitely be felt in this tremendous glass of wine. This Sancerre has arrived just in time to kick off the warm weather season making it the perfect foil for something simple like a tarragon chicken salad or maybe a little more complicated like seared sea scallops over a celery root puree. No matter what, this is an easy wine to pair that will keep you coming back to the glass over and over with its satisfying complexity.