2003 Patient Cottat VV Sancerre

[hotwine]

Pale gold in the glass, almost luminous. Nose of subtle grapefruit and green herbs, no noticeable wood, hint of a ladies' perfume, a delight to the old schnoz. Smooth silky entry on the palate with a bit more grapefruit but not tangy at all, no bite, finishing with another hint of perfume. 12.5% alc/vol and about $14.

With baked chicken breasts on a bed of sauteed spinach and covered in a white wine reduction of butter, 'shrooms, garlic. Major Yumsville.

[hotwine]

Had another tonight with leftovers and same notes apply. However, I'm really struck by how lean and unassuming this stuff is, quite the opposite of SBs from NZ, CA or even TX. Not the complexity of the Rossignole that we enjoyed so much a couple of years ago, but a well-crafted food-friendly wine if ever there was one. Plan to cellar a few and see if some whiskers will give them more depth. Sancerre gets my vote for the benchmark SB.

[Thomas]

Hotwine,

Don't jump the gun. 2003 Sancerre (or any European wine, for that matter) is atypical. That was among the hottest years on record and so acidity was low, alcohol was up and overall fatness was the rule.

Sancerre is normally crisp, snappy, even tart and somewhat grassy.

[hotwine]

Thanks, Foodster, I had read that about the '03 Sancerre in particular. But I'm very happy with this specimen.... the crispness is there, but it's not the in-your-face, bite-your-tongue-off style that's favored by so many New World producers. It has a subtelty and grace that most NW's never seem to achieve.

Would love to sample an '03 Rossignole for comparison.

[Innkeeper]

We loved the '02 (see way below) and will look for this one.