Outside of a few giants — the Cotats, Boulay and, above all, Dagueneau and Vatan — Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc isn't really collectible. But after a recent visit to Domaine Pellé, we realized that much... Read More
Outside of a few giants — the Cotats, Boulay and, above all, Dagueneau and Vatan — Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc isn't really collectible. But after a recent visit to Domaine Pellé, we realized that much of what makes those superstars so wildly coveted applies to Pellé's top wines, too.
When we arrived, Paul-Henry Pellé had us climb into his ancient open-roofed 4x4 and drove us to a hill so steep we weren't sure we could get to the top without tumbling backwards. This was the Ratier slope. Facing southwest, it gets lots of sun, but also nonstop, cooling breezes. Its rocky soils are studded with fossils of ancient shells — the famous Kimmeridgian marl that makes Chablis Chablis — and that makes top Sancerre so special.
We knew how exquisite Ratier is. What we didn't know, though, was how beautifully the wine can age.
On our visit, Paul-Henry shared many older vintages with us. Some could be mistaken for mature Chablis; some matured into a rainbow of white truffle, lemon curd, and stone. A 2012 Vigne de Ratier stood out even among these gems. At 10 years old, it was an absolutely perfect balance of ripe primary fruit, subtle spice and incipient truffle, balanced with all the seashell minerality and length of a top Premier Cru Chablis.
