When La Revue de Vin de France set forth to judge the world’s finest Sauvignon Blancs, back in 2017, it was none other than the Pinard Brothers’ Sancerre Chêne Marchand that took the title. Winning gold involved beating the likes of Pavillon Blanc and the best of the rest from across the globe. Not bad going for a wine that was then under £30 a bottle. The vintage that triumphed was the 2014, and we would argue that more recent vintages are even better! These are quite simply some of the finest wines in France, given all the attention of Grand Cru Burgundy, but sold at the price of many a Bourgogne.
Their Harmonie bottling is a blend of two different vineyards, one planted in 1955, the other in 1968, vinified and raised in a mixture of 600L demi-muids and large wooden casks. There was a time when it was singled out as 'the oaky one in the mix', but now, with just 10% new oak, it’s the bottle you are most likely to serve to a selection of Burgundy enthusiasts. Textured, taut and exceedingly un-varietal, it’s a wine of real finesse: all citrus oils and silk, then white fruit, fine stones and salty herbs as it tapers to a long finish.
Read MoreThe 2017 is a wine from a great vintage with at least a decade of life ahead of it. When old, there’s a magic about these wines that is hard to put into words –; white truffles and smoke combine with crystalline flavours of honeyed citrus and the rolling texture of smooth river stones. Old Dagueneau bottles show a similar side to Sauvignon Blanc from this part of the world; these are wines with all the structure and harmony to age for many years to come. They are reference- point Sauvignon Blanc’s that no cellar should be without.