Sancerre blanc "Le Paradis" AOC 2020

The Sancerre blanc "Le Paradis" 2020 is a cool, firm Sauvignon Blanc with no embellishment whatsoever. Matthias Planchon calls the common thread of his wines "l'eau de roche", rock water: a saline minerality that speaks of the limestone. After extended ageing, the vintage appears even tauter and more precise, with a touch of reduction in play; the decanter helps.

Le Paradis is a 14-hectare lieu-dit in Sancerre, Oxfordian limestone with a clay topsoil. Planchon farms 0.9 hectares within it, south-facing, planted with vines averaging 55 years old, 7,700 vines per hectare, yielding around 45 hectolitres. His cellar sits right in the middle of the site. The family has been in Sancerre since 1573; Jules Émile Planchon discovered phylloxera in 1868 and saved European viticulture through grafting onto American rootstock. Matthias took over the family plots in 2012 and has farmed them biodynamically since 2018.

Pure Sauvignon Blanc. Hand-harvested, slow pressing in a pneumatic press, around 36 hours of settling below 10 °C. Fermentation starts spontaneously, 70% in stainless steel tank and 30% in 500-litre barrels; the wine then ages ten to twelve months on fine lees in the same vessels. Bottled according to the lunar cycle, at 13.5% vol. and dry.

Lively, powerful and very clearly drawn. The aromatics stay restrained: jasmine and broom, white and black currants, greengage, lemon, lime and lemon balm, underscored by lichen on rock and a fine hint of wood. What carries the wine is structure: depth, intensity and length.

With goat cheese, above all Crottin de Chavignol, with pan-fried sole fillet, seafood and asparagus with hollandaise sauce. Also excellent with sushi and delicate fish dishes with citrus notes.

The extended lees ageing gives the wine a silky texture without breaking its cool line. Planchon vinifies each parcel separately and bottles only single-site wines; with 22,000 bottles a year, he is among the smallest producers in the appellation. The label carries the wording "Vin Bio et Biodynamique, cultivé sur sols vifs" as well as AB and EU organic certification.