Two Sancerres from 2008: André Dezat and Etienne Daulny

Looking down on village of Verdigny with Sancerre in distance: 28.9.09

André Dezat is one of the personnages (great personalities) of Sancerre. I well remember a visit with Tim Atkin many years ago to see André at his domaine in Verdigny. He talked about what it was like in Sancerre during the 1950s – a time of little electricity, water that had to be fetched from the well. It was a time of polyculture with few large farms before the arrival of tractors. All a world away from today's wealth brought by Sancerre's success first in Paris and then worldwide. A visitor to the very good audio-visual exhibition at the Maison des Sancerre will see André amongst others talking about Sancerre as it used to be.

André Dezat's domaine now has 38 hectares in Sancerre spread across six communes covering the three soil types as well as four hectares (Domaine Thibault) in Pouilly-Fumé. The domaine is now run by Simon and Louis Dezat.

The other Sancerre is from Etienne Daulny, who is also based in Verdigny. Daulny has 15 hectares of vines spread across some 50 parcels of vines. Neither of these producers has a website but there is a clip here of Etienne Daulny on You Tube.

2008 Sancerre Domaine Daulny

2008 Sancerre Etienne Daulny (Colchester Wine Company £11.66 per mixed case – £12.95 a bottle)

Pale lemon colour with green tints. It is green on the nose some slightly aggressive vegetal notes, crunchy fruit but also mouth puckering not completely unripe, although it certainly corresponds to a popular view of what Sauvignon Blanc should be like. This not a style I enjoy nor do I think it corresponds to the best of Sancerre, which can be austere and minerally but without the green, sappy fruit that the Daulny exhibits.

2008 Sancerre André Dezat et fils

2008 Sancerre André Dezat et fils, Les Celliers Saint-Romble (Colchester Wine Company £13.95 or £15.50 a bottle)
The Dezat is less aromatic on the nose largely I suspect due to the fruit being picked riper. Lightly citric – hints of grapefruit and some gooseberry, too. Softer rounder on the palate without greenness of the Daulny. Some concentration and ripeness with vibrant acidity that is a mark of 2008. This is altogether a much more attractive Sancerre. It is a good aperitif and would work well with shellfish as well as goats' cheese dishes. Although the Dezat is £2 more than the Daulny is is worth paying the extra.

Hugo Rose MW practising sabrage with a bottle of Cordon Negro: Château de Preuillac, April 2006

These wines were supplied by the Colchester Wine Company. Although the company was founded in 2003, this is perhaps best described as new venture by the Wheeler family after the sale of Lay & Wheeler to Majestic Wine earlier this year. Hugo Rose MW is their general manager with Richard Wheeler, John Thoroughgood amongst others from the old Lay & Wheeler stable involved. Hugo told me that under their agreement with Majestic that they have to stay out of the en primeur market for two years and he is not sure whether they will want or find it easy to venture back into en primeur when they are free to do so.