Red Sancerre (Pinot Noir) Question

Does red Sancerre (Pinot Noir)age and improve?
I know this is a very broad question and most likely depends upon producer/vintage and other factors I am too dumb to understand. However, in general, does it?
TIA
'Winger

[Robin Garr]

Bill, I can't testify to this one from much experience, having never tried to age one (and only having enjoyed tasting a relative few red Sancerres). But Hugh Johnson's advice in his <i>Pocket Wine Book 2007</i> coincides with my intuition: "Best drunk at 2 to 5 years" after the vintage. In short, it's not a long-time keeper.

Robin,
Thanks.
Like you, I have little expereince with these and my intuition is that they wouldn't be agers. The question was prompted by an in-store tasting I stumbled upon this week and they had a red Sancere open (sorry, I didn't jot down producer/vintage) but it was quite an aggressive wine...lots of tannin and raging acidity (and, I consider myself an acidophile) with a core of red fruit lurking underneath. I wanted to think this would improve with age since all the ingredients were present, but my intuition said ...NOPE.

[Robin Garr]

Robin,
Thanks.
Like you, I have little expereince with these and my intuition is that they wouldn't be agers. The question was prompted by an in-store tasting I stumbled upon this week and they had a red Sancere open (sorry, I didn't jot down producer/vintage) but it was quite an aggressive wine...lots of tannin and raging acidity (and, I consider myself an acidophile) with a core of red fruit lurking underneath. I wanted to think this would improve with age since all the ingredients were present, but my intuition said ...NOPE.

I sure wouldn't hold it for a decade!

On the other hand, there might be some benefit to shorter-term cellaring. I can think of a few wines - some tart, tannic young Cotes-du-Rhones come to mind - that don't really justify long cellaring but that lose their rough edges and some of their awkwardness with a year or two. If the one you tasted was a 2005, say, then Hugh's "2 to 5 year" advice might make a lot of sense.

[Jenise]

Robin, that's been my paltry experience--they mellow out real fast.

I've had some Sancerre rouges at seven and eight years of age that I thought were terrific. But they were from good vintages and I wouldn't be inclined to go much longer than that on even the best. As someone who has drank lots of Sancerre (and Menetou-Salon) rouges when they were between two- and five-years-old, I think that's generally good advice. From a good producer and a good year, you could, if you were so inclined, go several years longer without too much risk.

Jenise/Bruce/ Robin,
Thanks for your responses. Much appreciated. Wine is fun!
'Winger