1999 Gerard Morin Sancerre

[Randy Caparoso]

Well, I'm glad I missed that argument, then.

My inference was simple enough: over 90% (I'm just throwing numbers around, mind you) of the commercial quality Sancerres you see in the U.S. are meant for early drinking. This is not to say that the rare exceptions -- maybe those of Paul Cotat (especially his single vineyard Sancerre-Chavignols) and occasional vintages by Hippolyte Reverdy -- do not exist. But even the rare exceptions are not so much a matter of wines actually improving with age as the fact that they can still remain fresh after three, four years. It's great to live to 101, but it doesn't mean you can smack a tennis ball like you used to.

My original point, however, was that if a Sancerre is too tart when it's young, chances are it will be too tart when it's older. Why? Because the acidity doesn't go anywhere -- it stays right there in the bottle.

Last but not least, of course, is my point about food context, because this is just as crucial a point as the wine itself. A tart wine like Sancerre is less likely to taste acidic when eaten with a dish with, say, a little acidity (such as a vinaigrette) than it would with a dish with, say, lactic qualities (such as a creamy or buttery sauce). This is no different than a chocolate chip cookie tasting better with milk than orange juice, or a hamburger tasting better with vinegary ketchup than flabby butter.

For what it's worth...