Variety: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Region: Sancerre, Loire, France
Cost: $20
My Review: I’ve been trying to expand my horizons a bit when shopping at my local grocery store (Wegmans in Raleigh, for the record). My wife and I had fallen into a bit of a rut, always grabbing the same rose’, malbec, pinot noir…you get the idea. French wine has always been an area that I’ve done a poor job of educating myself on; I know the grapes, but usually in the context of how they’re grown in California or Virginia. So I’ve been making it a habit the last few weeks to pick a ~$20 bottle from one of the French sections of my local store to see what I like, what I don’t, and which ones I want to buy more of.
Part of the reason I picked the 2019 Le Clos Chartier is that while we tend to drink a good bit of Sauvignon Blanc in the warmer months, I was looking for something with less bite and acidity than the bottles we typically pick up from Chile or New Zealand.
Le Clos Chartier definitely checked that box. On the nose I picked up notes of lemon and citrus, as expected, but also some herbal notes, mostly thyme. In the mouth I got lime, gooseberry, and some flint/slate/pencil lead notes on the finish.
It was crisp and acidic, but not nearly as much as what I’ve experienced when drinking the grape grown in other countries (or even regions within France). The muted citrus notes were a good pairing to the smoked chicken with mashed potatoes and brussel sprouts that my wife and I paired the wine with; the citrus and herb in the wine matching well with the chicken and balancing the earthiness of the brussel sprouts.
I really liked this wine, and at $20 it’s a good value–definitely one I’d pick up again. I want to explore a bit more before circling back, but it’s definitely one I plan to keep in mind once the weather gets warm again and I want a refreshing white to pair with chicken.
