This is a beautiful week of weather in San Francisco to be drinking Sancerre, and we have a very good idea for you today: Lucien Crochet’s bright and briney 2021 Sancerre Blanc. As the domaine’s entry-level white, it’s the most approachable on release, and the one best suited to carefree sipping when the weather is good.

Crochet has long been one of the best in the entire Loire, and a cornerstone of the Neal Rosenthal portfolio for over 40 years. They have some of the best plots in Bué, where the domaine is based, as well as Vinon and Crézancy. Unsurprisingly, their straight Sancerre Blanc is several rungs above your average Sancerre-by-the-glass.

And while the wines are always consistently great (Gilles Crochet has been at the helm of the domaine for over 30 years), we’re especially excited about the 2021, which carries a little more tension and precision than the last few vintages.

Unfortunately, ‘21 was also a very short vintage – frosts, which affected much of France in 2021, were especially brutal in Sancerre. We got enough to offer here, but almost certainly won’t get a crack at a second shipment.

Lucien Crochet Sancerre Blanc 2021 - $37.99