Why Americans Love Sancerre

Vintners’ focus on site-specific bottlings is boosting complexity in these Loire Valley whites

- KRISTEN BIELER

"l have the Sancerre.” It’s a phrase that American sommeliers hear countless times a day. Yet many of these loyal Sancerre fans may not even be aware that their blue-chip white is a 100% Sauvignon Blanc from an appellation in the eastern Loire Valley. Sancerre is a wine that has transcended grape and region.

And really, the popularity of Sancerre should surprise no one, considering that the wine checks so many boxes: reliable, refreshing and food-friendly, with a name that rolls off the tongue.

“Sancerre happened to be an appellation at the right time and the right place in the 1990s, offering a specific profile, bright and aromatic— an alternative to Chardonnay, at a good price,” says sommelier Pascaline Lepeltier, a Loire native now based in New York, where she just opened her latest restaurant, Chambers. It has just enough French touch,” she adds, but it’s not too complicated to pronounce or remember. And it’s pretty easy to find.”

Exports to the U.S. have exploded over the past two decades, increasing 345%. That makes Americans by far the largest consumers of this beloved Loire white, drinking roughly 40% of all the Sancerre that leaves France.

The demand for Sancerre has proven non-negotiable, resulting in rising prices and, increasingly, shortages. We offer the Guillerault Fargette Sancerre Les Panseillots 2020 by the glass, and I’m often struggling with running out,” says Victoria Taylor, head sommelier at Bar Boulud and Boulud Sud in New York. But when I replaced it with a Chenin Blanc from another Loire region, it didn’t work. People are so committed to having Sancerre.”