Domaine Sylvain Bailly 2008 "Sancerre"

In the eastern part of the Loire Valley in France you find the Sancerre which until the last century was known for its red wines, especially Pinot Noir. A bout of the root louse phylloxera devastated the crop and today it is known for its wonderfully expressed wines made from the Sauvignon Blanc grape which is dry, pretty acidic, loaded with gooseberry and peach and a minerally finish. Today's wine, Domaine Sylvain Bailly is a perfect example of what you can expect from a Sancerre. In the glass the wine is clean, clean, somewhat watery with just a touch of green. The nose was aromatic, citrus, a touch of melon, a little gooseberry and something that was reminiscent of mineral water (without the bubbles). The palate was dray, clean and crisp with medium-to-medium (+) acidity, green apple, touch of citrus all coming together to a medium length minerally finish (felt like I licked a rock which for this wine is a good thing). If you want to know what classic Sancerre is like this is a good, inexpensive way to find out.

Number of wines reviewed in 201: 97