2023 Firmin Dezat Sancerre Blanc

100% organic and dry farmed Sauvignon Blanc from 45 year old estate vines in Verdigny on chalky limestone and silex soils. Hand harvested, fermented with native yeasts and aged simply in stainless steel. With a family history in Sancerre dating back to the 1500’s, Firmin Dezat is the 18th generation to farm in and around Sancerre.

91 points, John Gilman's View from the Cellar. "Firmin Dezat owns twelve hectares of vines in Verdigny, with 8.5 of these planted to sauvignon blanc, planted on both terres blanches and les caillottes soil types. He combines these together to make his blended bottling of Sancerre, which ends up being a mix of sixty-five percent les caillottes and thirty-five percent terres blanches; the wine is fermented and raised in stainless steel tanks. The 2024 version is a fine example, wafting from the glass in a youthful blend of green apple, gooseberry, lime peel, a complex base of chalky soils, damp grass and a topnote of lime blossoms. On the palate the wine is crisp, tightly-knit and full-bodied, with a good core and soil undertow, zesty acids and a long, well balanced and youthfully complex finish. This is already tasty, but clearly will be an even better drink once it has relaxed a bit structurally with a bit of bottle age. 2025-2035."