This Season’s Staples
by Allyson Noman
Sancerre
© Domaine Roger Neveu
Jean-Philippe Neveu
© Jimmy Hayes
The Neveu family
© Jimmy Hayes
Working in the vines
© Jimmy Hayes
Neveu’s PFX in barrel
© Jimmy Hayes
Old bottles of Sancerre
© Jimmy Hayes
The beauty of the Sancerre blanc is it goes with nearly anything. Last time chez moi, it sang beside herb and olive oil roasted cod atop Tuscan kale sautéed in crispy bits of pancetta.
Sancerre
© Domaine Roger Neveu
Jean-Philippe Neveu
© Jimmy Hayes
The Neveu family
© Jimmy Hayes
Working in the vines
© Jimmy Hayes
Neveu’s PFX in barrel
© Jimmy Hayes
Old bottles of Sancerre
© Jimmy Hayes
The beauty of the Sancerre blanc is it goes with nearly anything. Last time chez moi, it sang beside herb and olive oil roasted cod atop Tuscan kale sautéed in crispy bits of pancetta.
This Season’s Staples
by Allyson Noman
It might seem counterintuitive to put the words understated and Sancerre in the same sentence, but the description is befitting of Domaine Roger Neveu, where simply beautiful standards are produced from a family whose agricultural roots date back to the 1600s. Given such history, it makes perfect sense that an enduring quality shines through in their wines, which are perfect for the fall table.
Like any good mainstay, the wines below are great for year-round use, though I’ve especially enjoyed them lately, when the days are shorter and crisp, but I’m not quite ready to admit that summer has departed. I’m left wanting the best of both worlds! The solution? Mineral-driven quaffers with enough zest and body to complement incoming autumnal produce.
The delicate rosé of Pinot Noir is my go-to for apéro hour, redolent of peach, pomelo, and garden roses—a natural match for goat cheese, pears and figs, or roasted beet salad with peppery greens. The beauty of the Sancerre blanc is it goes with nearly anything. Last time chez moi, it sang beside herb and olive oil roasted cod atop Tuscan kale sautéed in crispy bits of pancetta. Meanwhile, the Pierre-François Xavier Vieilles Vignes is only produced in the best years—since 1990 only nine vintages have been made—and while it’s just as versatile as the blanc above, it’s elevated by layers of old-vine depth and barrel-aged texture. I loved it just as much alongside a wedge salad featuring the last of summer’s tomatoes, as with the next night’s chicken braised in apple cider vinegar with thin-sliced apples and shallots. Any of these wines would also be a sublime complement to mushroom risotto, seafood stew, and a number of other recipes I have bookmarked for the next few months. Go wild with these classics.
Wines In The Collection
Domaine Roger Neveu France | Loire
Sancerre Rosé is made from Pinot Noir grown in Kimmeridgian limestone soil, and the Neveu family’s interpretation is fine, floral, crisp, and bone-dry.
Domaine Roger Neveu France | Loire
Textbook Sancerre: bright and citrusy, with a clean, stony finish.
Domaine Roger Neveu France | Loire
The oak adds a grain and level of class and backbone that raises this cuvée a step above the domaine’s classic Sancerre bottling.
France | Loire
Sancerre Rosé is made from Pinot Noir grown in Kimmeridgian limestone soil, and the Neveu family’s interpretation is fine, floral, crisp, and bone-dry.
France | Loire
Textbook Sancerre: bright and citrusy, with a clean, stony finish.
France | Loire
The oak adds a grain and level of class and backbone that raises this cuvée a step above the domaine’s classic Sancerre bottling.
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