Sancerre gets most of the attention in this part of France, but Pouilly-Fumé is right across the Loire river and makes beautiful wines from the same grape, Sauvignon Blanc, in the same climate. Both places... Read More

Sancerre gets most of the attention in this part of France, but Pouilly-Fumé is right across the Loire river and makes beautiful wines from the same grape, Sauvignon Blanc, in the same climate. Both places turn out wines that are crisp, and refreshing, with an underpinning of terroir influence. At the top end, Pouilly-Fumé’s most celebrated growers, like Dagueneau, are every bit as collectible and expensive as the fanciest Sancerres. But at the everyday level, the wines are every bit as deliciously refreshing, and yet, much more affordable.

If they’re so similar, why are they even different appellations then? Mostly it’s the soils. Where Sancerre is famous for three types of soil: terres blanches (chalky limestone), caillottes (limestone-gravel), and silex (flint), in Pouilly-Fumé, silex dominates. That’s what gives Pouilly-Fumé its trademark smoky minerality, while also keeping the exotic florality and herbal qualities to a minimum.