Domaine Lucien Crochet may be the top grower in the Sancerre village of Bué, but that may not sound like much. How many of us obsess over the villages of Sancerre? How many can we even name? Chavignol, maybe, given its kimmeridgian limestone, superstar growers (the Cotats, Boulay and Vatan), and famously steep vineyards with memorable names (like 'Les Monts Damnés' or 'The Damned Mountains').

But Bué? Hardly a household name, despite its incredible terroir. Gently rolling hills of Griottes (Oxfordian limestone clay) and Caillotes (limestone gravels) make wines that have all the depth of minerality and vibrant acidity of a great Chavignol, but that also manage to drink younger.

How good are the wines of Domaine Lucien Crochet? When Eric Asimov did a Wines of the Times column on Sancerre a dozen years ago, Crochet's was his top pick. It even beat out the superstar Cotats. We think Crochet has only gone from strength to strength since then. And Chris Kissak, one of the best writers on the Loire Valley, says the Domaine is so good its mere "presence... in the village... is clear testimony to the quality and potential of Bué’s vineyards and wines." Crochet is the benchmark.

Kissack also says that Crochet's house style is "savory, sinewy and gastronomic" and while we generally find Crochet wines more accessible than that implies, those elements are clearly all there. And the wine is, beyond the shadow of a doubt, a treat with an enormous variety of meals. The obvious choices — scallops grilled simply with lemon, for instance — are good ones. But it has the complexity and depth and power to pair with almost anything: a glass was utterly delicious with a Thai ground pork salad not too long ago.

Yup, calling Crochet "a top producer in Bué" is not damning by faint praise, not at all. If anything, it's hinting at the incredible value the wines represent. And it turns out that many people have figured this out already. Indeed it has been awhile since we offered this Flatiron stalwart because we never get enough. But we just got the excellent 2021s, and even though there’s not much wine we wanted to share it with you today. Grab some quick, it won’t last long!

Lucien Crochet, Sancerre, 2021 $37.99 | Mineral, saline and bursting with citrus blossoms and lemon zest, this is classy, top notch Sancerre from one of our favorite estates. This is the perfect introduction to Crochet’s magic.

Lucien Crochet, Sancerre “La Croix du Roy”, 2021 $44.99 (net, very limited)  | "La Croix du Roy" may be Crochet's most perfectly dialed-in expression of Bué terroir. It's from multiple parcels around the commune with the classic Griottes and Caillotes soils. It manages to be both a relatively full-bodied and intense bottling (importer Neal Rosenthal calls it a "masculine" Sancerre), and also vibrantly fresh, elegant and "zesty" (in Neal's words, again).