Notify me
2021 Sancerre
Domaine Hippolyte Reverdy

Kermit reminded me that the village of Chavignol, known for its fine, firm-textured cheese, the Crottin de Chavignol, is in the heart of the Sancerre appellation. While this recipe does not utilize Crottin (a cheese not particularly suitable for melting), the association of goat cheese with this wine in the local tradition spurred me to come up with this dish.
Finding the right food pairing summons the aromas in the wine. Likewise, the wine can act as a condiment to the food, enhancing its flavors and providing a provocation to continue eating. In this case, the chalky pucker of the goat cheese draws out the flintiness in this wine and harmonizes well with its pungent grassiness. The soft, somewhat creamy effect of the omelette is also a good foil for the refreshing acidity in the wine (taken on its own it can appear “hard”), which washes it all away and further stimulates the appetite. —Paul Bertolli, 1995 Newsletter
Click here for Paul Bertolli’s GOAT CHEESE OMELETTE recipe.
Does it get more classic than this? Like Chablis and Muscadet, Sancerre is a quintessential white wine appellation of France, beloved for its famous Kimmeridgian limestone and crisp blancs that sing at apéro hour. This AOC also happens to be home to half a dozen vignerons named Reverdy. Domaine Hippolyte Reverdy, a family farm that has been making wine for many generations—since the 1600s—is our favorite, producing Sancerres with trademark notes of fresh spring flowers and a zesty, mineral finish.
Since Kermit began to work with Hippolyte, the first Reverdy in this family to bottle, in the 1980s, the wines have been consistently excellent. The current generation, Julie Guiard—Hippolyte’s granddaughter—is as much a humble farmer as any of her ancestors, foregoing vacation and travel to make sure everything is in exactly the right place in her vines and cellar. Join me in opening a bottle of this charming Sancerre that represents what we love most about tradition in French winemaking. —Tom Wolf
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2021 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Sauvignon Blanc |
Appellation: | Sancerre |
Country: | France |
Region: | Loire |
Producer: | Domaine Hippolyte Reverdy |
Winemaker: | Julie Guiard |
Vineyard: | 30 years average, 11 ha |
Soil: | Clay, Kimmeridgian Limestone |
Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
Alcohol: | 13% |
More from this Producer or Region

Touraine “Fines Bulles”
France | Loire
Made in the méthode traditionnelle with direct-press Cabernet Franc, it is a light, bright, and festive bubbly meant to be drunk cold and often.

2024 Vin de France Rosé Brut “Elle est pas bulle la vie?”
France | Loire
It’s refreshingly bright on the palate, flush with delicate notes of strawberry rhubarb, and dangerously quaffable.

2024 Sancerre
France | Loire
Textbook Sancerre: bright and citrusy, with a clean, stony finish.

2024 Reuilly “Les Pierres Plates”
France | Loire
Grassy and piquant with a citrus and mineral-tinged finish, it checks all the boxes.

2024 Val de Loire Rouge Grolleau
France | Loire
This wine in the Breton book is a pure old-vine Grolleau from soils of clay and silex.

Vouvray Brut MAGNUM
France | Loire
A bubbly for any day of the week–bone-dry and super fresh

2024 Bourgueil Rosé
France | Loire
October Club Gourmand ~ Pretty and elegant, with a taste of fresh peaches and nectarines, it is perfect for your summer table.

2024 Pouilly-Fumé “Vieilles Vignes”
France | Loire
The classic Sauvignon Blanc characteristics are present, but understated—floral notes, subtle citrus, a cool grassiness—and there’s a chalkiness so textural you can feel it as you taste.

2024 Cheverny
France | Loire
Sauvignon and a splash of Chardonnay: the epitome of minerally Loire refreshment

2024 Jasnières “Cuvée du Silex”
France | Loire
This Chenin Blanc has a tart sweetness, or perhaps a sweet tartness—with neither overbearing—that epitomizes good balance and will have you greedily reaching for your glass.

About The Producer
Domaine Hippolyte Reverdy
About The Region
Loire
The defining feature of the Loire Valley, not surprisingly, is the Loire River. As the longest river in France, spanning more than 600 miles, this river connects seemingly disparate wine regions. Why else would Sancerre, with its Kimmeridgian limestone terroir be connected to Muscadet, an appellation that is 250 miles away?
Secondary in relevance to the historical, climatic, environmental, and cultural importance of the river are the wines and châteaux of the Jardin de la France. The kings and nobility of France built many hundreds of châteaux in the Loire but wine preceded the arrival of the noblesse and has since out-lived them as well.
Diversity abounds in the Loire. The aforementioned Kimmeridgian limestone of Sancerre is also found in Chablis. Chinon, Bourgueil, and Saumur boast the presence of tuffeau, a type of limestone unique to the Loire that has a yellowish tinge and a chalky texture. Savennières has schist, while Muscadet has volcanic, granite, and serpentinite based soils. In addition to geologic diversity, many, grape varieties are grown there too: Cabernet Franc, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Melon de Bourgogne are most prevalent, but (to name a few) Pinot Gris, Grolleau, Pinot Noir, Pineau d’Aunis, and Folle Blanche are also planted. These myriad of viticultural influences leads to the high quality production of every type of wine: red, white, rosé, sparkling, and dessert.
Like the Rhône and Provence, some of Kermit’s first imports came from the Loire, most notably the wines of Charles Joguet and Château d’Epiré—two producers who are featured in Kermit’s book Adventures on the Wine Route and with whom we still work today.
More from Loire or France
2022 Jasnières “Cuvée Sainte Narcisse”
Pascal Janvier France | Loire
2023 Chinon “Les Petites Roches”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2023 Sancerre Blanc “Pierre François Xavier Vieilles Vignes”
Domaine Roger Neveu France | Loire
2022 Chinon “Le Domaine”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2022 Gros-Plant du Pays Nantais
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
2023 Menetou-Salon Blanc “Cuvée des Bénédictins”
Prieuré de Saint Céols France | Loire
2017 Jasnières “Chant de Vigne”
Christine de Mianville France | Loire
2021 Chinon “Le Clos Guillot”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2024 Vouvray “La Dilettante”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2024 Reuilly Pinot Gris Rosé
Domaine de Reuilly France | Loire
2024 Saumur Champigny “Cuvée Domaine”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2023 Sancerre Rouge “Le Chant de l’Archet”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2022 Jasnières “Cuvée Sainte Narcisse”
Pascal Janvier France | Loire
2023 Chinon “Les Petites Roches”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2023 Sancerre Blanc “Pierre François Xavier Vieilles Vignes”
Domaine Roger Neveu France | Loire
2022 Chinon “Le Domaine”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2022 Gros-Plant du Pays Nantais
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
2023 Menetou-Salon Blanc “Cuvée des Bénédictins”
Prieuré de Saint Céols France | Loire
2017 Jasnières “Chant de Vigne”
Christine de Mianville France | Loire
2021 Chinon “Le Clos Guillot”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2024 Vouvray “La Dilettante”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2024 Reuilly Pinot Gris Rosé
Domaine de Reuilly France | Loire
2024 Saumur Champigny “Cuvée Domaine”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2023 Sancerre Rouge “Le Chant de l’Archet”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
Where the newsletter started

Where the newsletter started
Every three or four months I would send my clients a cheaply made list of my inventory, but it began to dawn on me that business did not pick up afterwards. It occurred to me that my clientele might not know what Château Grillet is, either. One month in 1974 I had an especially esoteric collection of wines arriving, so I decided to put a short explanation about each wine into my price list, to try and let my clients know what to expect when they uncorked a bottle. The day after I mailed that brochure, people showed up at the shop, and that is how these little propaganda pieces for fine wine were born.—Kermit Lynch