Notify me
2023 Sancerre
Hippolyte Reverdy

Julie Guiard, winemaker

Sancerre

“I tasted good Sancerres in several caves but selected Hippolyte Reverdy’s because it was the prettiest, because it has none of the dreaded SO2, because his price is far from painful, and because I liked his name. When you are named Kermit, there is a satisfaction to be gained by meeting an Hippolyte.” — Kermit Lynch, June 1983 Newsletter
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. As we celebrate four decades of importing Domaine Hippolyte Reverdy, 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: | 2023 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Sauvignon Blanc |
Appellation: | Sancerre |
Country: | France |
Region: | Loire |
Producer: | Domaine Hippolyte Reverdy |
Winemaker: | Julie Guiard |
Soil: | Limestone |
Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
Alcohol: | 13% |
More from this Producer or Region

2020 Vin de France Rosé Grolleau/Cabernet Franc “Les Arceaux”
France | Loire
Intensely dry and mineral, the structured Les Arceaux is a bottle to pair with a meal rather than to drink as an apéritif.

2022 Chinon Blanc
France | Loire
Ultra fresh and brimming with citrus blossom and orchard fruit notes, it has a saline, mineral finish that leaves my palate begging for more.

2022 Sancerre “Les Coutones”
France | Loire
A fleshy, full-bodied Sancerre with great freshness and the ability to age in bottle for a few years after release.

2020 Saumur Champigny “Clos de l’Échelier”
France | Loire
Fine, with bright acid, sleek silkiness, and great length, it is the most elegant of all of Thierry’s red wines.

2023 Jasnières
France | Loire
February Club Gourmand ~ Racy, slightly honeyed, exotically perfumed, and loaded with minerality, this wine is an excellent representation of how Chenin reacts to the local conditions.

2023 Sancerre
France | Loire
An intense exotic nose lures you in before the minerality channels the lightning energy of this pure Sauvignon Blanc.

2022 Sancerre Rouge
France | Loire
Chotard has crafted a delicious, complex, and elegant rouge that gives many village Burgundies a run for their money.

2018 Saumur Blanc “L’Échelier”
France | Loire
February Club Bianco ~ This chiseled Chenin Blanc comes from 70-year-old vines planted on an ancient limestone slope. Burgundian-like in character from its time spent in barrel, the laser-like acidity will become even more enticing with some age.

Vouvray Brut
France | Loire
From clay and limestone vineyards, they are able to obtain remarkable complexity in their Brut, while the texture shows both a creamy richness and an austere minerality.

2019 Bourgueil “Les Perrières”
France | Loire
The family’s grandest wine, a brooding elixir of satiny fruit, cedar, and graphite.

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 Kimmderidgian 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 Bourgueil Clairet “Avis de Vin Fort”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2023 Savennières
Château d’Epiré France | Loire
2022 Quincy “Château de Quincy”
Domaine Trotereau France | Loire
2018 Saumur Blanc “Le Clos du Moulin”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2020 Vin de France Rouge Cabernet Franc “Huguette”
Grange Saint Sauveur France | Loire
2021 Saumur-Champigny “Les Mémoires”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2023 Chardonnay
Éric Chevalier France | Loire
2015 Chinon “Les Petites Roches” MAGNUM
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2020 Saumur-Champigny “Les Mémoires”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2023 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
2023 Vouvray “La Dilettante”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine “Réserve”
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
2022 Bourgueil Clairet “Avis de Vin Fort”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2023 Savennières
Château d’Epiré France | Loire
2022 Quincy “Château de Quincy”
Domaine Trotereau France | Loire
2018 Saumur Blanc “Le Clos du Moulin”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2020 Vin de France Rouge Cabernet Franc “Huguette”
Grange Saint Sauveur France | Loire
2021 Saumur-Champigny “Les Mémoires”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2023 Chardonnay
Éric Chevalier France | Loire
2015 Chinon “Les Petites Roches” MAGNUM
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2020 Saumur-Champigny “Les Mémoires”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2023 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
2023 Vouvray “La Dilettante”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine “Réserve”
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
Kermit once said...

Kermit once said...
Let the brett nerds retire into protective bubbles, and whenever they thirst for wine it can be passed in to them through a sterile filter. Those of us on the outside can continue to enjoy complex, natural, living wines.
Inspiring Thirst, page 236