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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

2020 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Clisson “La Molette”
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2023 Sancerre Rouge “Le Chant de l’Archet”
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The Chotards are some of the lucky few who have Sancerre parcels that are ideal for growing Pinot Noir, and theirs have been planted to Pinot for well over fifty years, so the vines are at full maturity.

2018 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine “Gorges”
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Gorges boasts an incredible texture and tension imparted by decomposed, blue-green igneous rock, seventy-year-old vines, and years-long aging on the lees.

2024 Vouvray
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October Adventures Club ~ Gentle and refreshing on the palate, it boasts a delightful balance of stony minerality with luscious, almost honeyed fruit and flowery notes.

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Chinons from Joguet are known for their firm minerality, but this one is quite charming as well, with plummy black fruit, myrtle, and notes of warm licorice.

2024 Coteaux du Loir Rouge “Cuvée du Rosier”
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This red is 100% Pineau d’Aunis, an indigenous red grape we hold dear to our collective hearts because of its mystifying aromatics and bright, juicy texture.

2023 Sancerre Blanc “Cuvée Marcel Henri”
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Welcome to depth, complexity, understatement, finesse.

2023 Sancerre Blanc “Pierre François Xavier Vieilles Vignes”
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The oak adds a grain and level of class and backbone that raises this cuvée a step above the domaine’s classic Sancerre bottling.

2022 Sancerre Rouge “Champs d’Alligny”
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Previously blended into the domaine’s Sancerre rouge, the Champs d’Alligny is now its own bottling, a successful experiment if there ever was one.

2021 Vin de France Rosé Grolleau/Cabernet Franc “Les Arceaux”
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Intensely dry and mineral, the structured Les Arceaux is a bottle to pair with a meal rather than to drink as an apéritif.

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
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2023 Sancerre Blanc “Pierre François Xavier Vieilles Vignes”
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Vouvray Brut “La Dilettante”
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2020 Saumur Champigny “Outre Terre”
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2018 Saumur Blanc “Le Clos du Moulin”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2018 Saumur Blanc “L’Échelier”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2023 Sancerre Blanc “Pierre François Xavier Vieilles Vignes”
Domaine Roger Neveu France | Loire
2021 Bourgueil “La Dilettante”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Sancerre Rouge “Champs d’Alligny”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2022 Gros-Plant du Pays Nantais
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
2024 Bourgueil “Cuvée Alouettes”
Domaine de la Chanteleuserie France | Loire
2023 Menetou-Salon Blanc “Le Prieuré”
Prieuré de Saint Céols France | Loire
2020 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Clisson “La Molette”
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2020 Saumur Champigny “Clos de l’Échelier”
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Vintage Chart Mentality

Vintage Chart Mentality
Trust the great winemakers, trust the great vineyards. Your wine merchant might even be trustworthy. In the long run, that vintage strip may be the least important guide to quality on your bottle of wine.—Kermit Lynch