2009 Sancerre Clos la Neore

Late harvest and rich flavors have always been the Vatan norm, but the 2009 Sancerre Clos la Neore was picked the 12th-15th of September – very early by estate standards – yet still reached a 15.1% level of alcohol practically bound to have some deleterious effects on almost any dry white wine. What’s more, even assuming it managed to finish with only the five grams of residual sugar the law allowed this year for Sancerre, it displays distinct if subtle sweetness thanks in large part no doubt to low acid and high glycerin. In short, this won’t be every taster’s idea of a good time nor will it be any taster’s image of Sancerre. Effusive aromas and opulent richness of melon liqueur, over-ripe pineapple, and candied grapefruit rind are joined on the palate by caraway, vanilla, caramel, and even a hint of chocolate. This amazingly exotic and full-bodied liqueur of Sauvignon manages to retain a luscious sense of lime sorbet, as well as a genuine sense of chalky, Chavignol typicity, but it is impossible to entirely cool down the finish, so the wine needs to be served well-chilled. Anne’s husband and Clos Rougeard co-owner Nadi Foucault volunteers that “the only vintages that could historically compare in Sancerre would be 1947 or 1959,” wines said to have taken a long time to show their full virtues. But I would be extremely sparing and watchful in putting away any of this literally (or at least, let’s hope!) exceptional Clos la Neore. Anne Vatan-Foucault readily confessed to a hope that her first two vintages shepherding to bottle the roughly 300 cases of wine that her father Edmond made into an unsurpassed benchmark of Sauvignon Blanc do not constitute “the new usual.” Importer: Weygandt-Metzler, Unionville, PA; tel. (610) 486-0800