Sancerre, Cuvée Silex, Domaine Serge Laloue 2023
James Suckling 93; Andreas Larsson 91; Decanter 91
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Why this wine
Silex is the flint soil that gives Sancerre its smoky edge, and Laloue bottle it on its own from a single three-hectare parcel of forty-year-old vines. Ten months on fine lees add texture without a trace of oak. It is the most precise white in the range from a domaine that has farmed this way for decades.
At a glance
- Grape
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Region
- Loire Valley, France
- Alcohol
- 13.50%
- Body
- Medium
- Acidity
- High
- Sweetness
- Dry
- Drink
- Short (3-5 yrs)
- Pairs with
- Seafood, Salads, Cheese
How it tastes
Smoky graphite and oyster shell on the nose, lifted by zesty orange peel and Mirabelle plum. The palate is dry, fresh and supple, with concentrated citrus fruit carried on high acidity to a bright, saline finish. Sauvignon Blanc 100%.
The producer
Serge Laloue established the domaine at Thauvenay, five kilometres south of Sancerre, in the 1960s; Christine and her brother Franck have run it since the 1990s, and Franck's son Clément joined after his viticulture studies. The Silex cuvée comes from a three-hectare estate vineyard of forty-year-old vines on flinty clay facing south-east, ploughed rather than sprayed with herbicide and HVE certified; conversion to organic began in 2019 and 2023 is the first certified organic vintage. The grapes were gently pressed and fermented with selected yeasts in temperature-controlled stainless steel, then held ten months on fine lees with stirring, deliberately without oak so the flint of the soil comes through.
Food and drinking
Serve at 8–10°C. It suits oysters, grilled sea bass, fresh goat's cheese and a salad of asparagus and herbs. Drink over the next five years; no decanting needed. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans.