WTN: Uninspiring Sancerre Rouge

Not long ago, Alko had a really lovely red Sancerre, the Domaine Laporte Sancerre Rouge La Cresle, which is a part of Henri Bourgeois. I haven't usually liked the wines of HB, but this was so good that I had to try the HB that replaced it. I shouldn't have.

• 2007 Henri Bourgeois Sancerre Rouge Les Baronnes - France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Sancerre Rouge (8/3/2010)
  19,57€; 12,5% abv. At first it seems to have rather attractive Pinosity with some nice tart berry aromas, but the new oak (it sees a third new wood, a third once used and a third twice used) soon takes over. The palate also has nice acidity and tart berry character, but the smooth, oaky sheen becomes rather too dominant. I got very little enjoyment from this.
  

Posted from CellarTracker

Hmm... no Great Pumpkin in that patch, then--it clearly isn't Sancerre enough.

-Paul W.

I have noticed on my few trips to France that the locals tend to, with at least one cuvee, make a wine that would be, to the average (American/British/other) palate, WAY over-oaked. This is something that they enjoy (special occasions, etc.). It is not for us to say that this is not good, just not good to us. They like it, or they would not make it, they drink it, and that is the end of that. I would agree with you, when I look for Sancerre or Pouilly-Fume I know what I am looking for, but OTOH if you lived there you might like to play around with the juice and try to look like a White Bordeaux, or something else. I have tasted wine with Christian Bourgeois in Chavignol and they are most dedicated and produce about ten different versions of SB and PN. If you are ever close, visit the little village about a mile NW of Sancerre. And pick up a Crottin de Chavignol (best of the famous goat cheese from France) to go with the local wine. There is a convenient hill-side to enjoy your wine and cheese, and view Sancerre in the distance. Kind of what makes France special.

two comments
1. for those who make only one red wine i have found that they do not use oak very much. if they make two, then the second sees some new oak as the wine tasted above. this second wine is usually for sale to restaurants. red wines are sort of an afterthought here in any event - 20% of production - and few producers are using modern ways of viticulture or viniculture. Delaporte had a former intern return from a stint in the northern rhone who managed to make improvements to their red wine making - but this is an exception.
2. directions to the picnic table: from sancerre village, go through chavignol and turn left at the Y. then drive up the first dirt path on the left. the table with a great view is on your right at the first turn.

one more thing - i'm told that Crezancy has a hillside that can grow the best pinot grapes in all sancerre. of course the winemaking still has to be good as well.