Etienne Daulny owns 15 hectares of vines that are divided into about 50 different plots within the Sancerre wine region. Daulny combines diverse plots from varying types of soil, including clay and flint, Portlandian and Kimmeridgian, into his cuvée normale of Sancerre, but the Étienne Daulny Sancerre cuvée normale is clearly quite above the norm. To be sure, fruit from some of the appellation’s most revered vineyards makes its way into this cuvée, including old vine plantings at Les Monts Damnés, Les Bois Butteux, and La Perrière. Platinum/green/gold in color with subtle aromas suggesting cool ripe melon, the beguiling sweet smell of a grapevine in flower, spearmint (Andrea sensed nuance of Asian pear and pierre à fusil, Henry sensed wintergreen and floral tones, Glenn, white flower and honeysuckle); supple on entry, subtle, then gently pulverized stony dry, with flavors that faithfully reprise all that aromatic wealth; entirely pleasing and flavorful and long on the finish, without any overstaying its welcome.

100% Sauvignon Blanc from sustainably-farmed vines planted to argilo-silicieux and caillouteux/calcaire soils at Sury-en-Vaux, a small village just northwest of the town of Sancerre itself. Platinum/yellow with green reflections in color and vivid fresh fermentive aromas suggestive of cool ripe green melon, kumquat and wintergreen on a base of pulverized limestone; lithe on entry but with tactile rounded edges and a sapid energy that vivifies the tongue, bursting with flavor then gently mouthwatering, delicate and persistent, long on the finish. This is really good stuff.

The vineyard of Les Godons forms a natural ampitheatre with steep sides, protected from the wind and well-exposed to the sunlight. Formerly the property of Château de la Bucède, it was purchased by Lucien Raimbault, grandfather of Philippe, in 1946. The underground cellars of Domaine Philippe Raimbault are located at the foot of this slope in the village of Sury-en-Vaux. Philippe Raimbault points out that the soils of Sancerre are part of a geological stratum formed during the secondary era of the Jurassic period and that fossils of sea creatures more than 130 million years old are still discovered in the vineyards here. Platinum/yellow in color with discreet Sauvignon Blanc aromas that demonstrate a certain purity and pinnacle of ripeness, with suggestion of gooseberry, vanilla cream, orange zest and limestone underpinning; smooth and slippery on entry with, at once, a certain richness, roundness and yet a sense of equilibrium given the pull and tension of pithy fruity acidity, depth of flavor, power and restraint; while, for some, this will still be a quaffer of a Sancerre, this seems to us a more white table cloth version of the wine that would take on slightly richer, spiffier preparations of river fish, rich seafood (think scallops, lobster, monkfish) and myriad preparations of fine poultry.

Étienne and Marguerite David purchased the property of Favray at auction in 1957 and soon set about its renovation. The modern era vineyard and winery began during the early 1980s when Quentin, the second of their four children, became involved in the property, making, as they say, the crazy bet of waking up the sleepy terroirs of Favray (it must have been, in our estimation, a pretty sure thing by then). Today, Quentin is joined by his son, Augustin, in the day to day work of the vineyard and winery. The main cuvée is a blend of all of the various vineyard plots of the property, 100% Sauvignon Blanc vines on varying limestone soils: luminous yellow/gold with green reflections in color with aromas suggestive of cool ripe melon, stone fruits, gooseberry preserve, a fine green herbal quality like chervil or spearmint and, underneath it all, wine-moistened limestone; both ample and fresh on the tongue, rounded in texture but with a stony intensity and a kind of citrusy pith underpinning and cajoling the palate with presence and flavor, long and fresh.

Produce of 100% Sauvignon Blanc planted to the argilo-calcaire (clay/limestone) soils of the hills and ridges between the villages of Chavignol and Sancerre. Domaine Henri Bourgeois have been producing wine here for 10 generations. And their Sancerre «Les Baronnes» is, in our humble estimation, a shining example of textbook Sancerre: vivid yellow/gold in color with emerald green reflections; aromas suggestive of citrus and cool ripe melon and the ever Kimmeridgian clay/limestone underpinnings (one can almost smell the refreshment to come); poised on the palate, holding shape while delivering a nice wallop of vibrant fresh, crisp, mouthwateringly minérale Sancerrois Sauvignon Blanc flavor.

Domaine André Neveu was founded in the mid-1960s and is located in the town of Chavignol, also famous for its superb goat cheese Crottin de Chavignol. Valérie (3rd generation and the daughter of André Neveu) and her husband Thomas now run the domaine that extends to about 13 hectares (about 32 acres) of vines in the AOC of Sancerre. The name of the wine «Les Longues Fins» is a nod to the long slender plot of vines (all in Chavignol) planted to soils exclusively of limestone and from which the Sauvignon Blanc fruit for this wine is sourced. Brilliant platinum yellow in color with a panoply of ultra-fine aromas suggestive of honeysuckle, peche de vigne, juicy ripe ruby red grapefruit, orange zest, crisp cool green melon, fresh picked chervil and summer rain-moistened limestone; ultra-fine on the palate as well, at once both slender of frame, yet ample, crisp and yet supple, too, and all the while fresh as spring itself with a nice streak of nervy fruity acidity keeping the taste buds all atwitter, indeed, long on the finish. Delicieux!

The Domaine des Corbillières is a 20-hectare estate located in the town of Oisly, about 30 kilometers east of the city of Tours in the Loire River Valley. It was three generations ago that Fabel Barbou planted his first Sauvignon Blanc, introducing the varietal in this central Loire appellation. The vines are today quite old and low-yielding. The wines nowadays are made with great care and passion by Fabel’s great-grandson, Dominique Barbou. Luminous bright green-gold in the glass; high-toned, ultra-fresh aromas of citrus, ripe melon, lemongrass; vibrant and alive on the tongue, almost électrique as its former importer, Mr. Bobby Kacher, would say. Domaine des Corbillières Touraine remains a completely and totally refreshingly crisp, nervy, delicious dry white wine. And always among the absolute best values available in high-quality Sauvignon Blanc, from anywhere on the planet.

The Loire Valley is also known as the garden of France. For those of us keen on the best in bubbles but not always wanting to spend the bucks for Champagne, the Loire Valley also represents among the best places to seek high quality suds. Domaine d'Orfeuilles Vouvray Brut is a luminous yellow-gold with reflections of silver in color with a bevy of fine persistent bubbles; classic aromas suggestive of toast, brioche, citrus preserve and freshly dew-moistened chalky limestone; at once vivid and crisp and full and round on the tongue, with depth and length of flavor that belies its friendly price.