Domaine des Terres Blanches Sancerre Blanc 2023
Domaine des Terres Blanches
From Sancerre's Terres Blanches — literally 'white earth' — this wine is a pure expression of Kimmeridgian clay and limestone speaking through Sauvignon Blanc. It is structured entirely by acidity and minerality, with fruit serving as an accent rather than a star. For anyone wanting to understand what 'spine' means in a white wine, this is your textbook.
Nose
Crushed limestone and wet flint dominate the opening, followed by green apple, white grapefruit, and a thread of elderflower. This is a nose driven by mineral tension rather than fruit.
Palate
Razor-edged acidity provides the structural backbone, carrying precise flavors of green apple, gooseberry, and lemon zest across a chalky, almost tactile midpalate. The minerality is not a background note — it is the main event.
Finish
Clean and persistent, with lingering citrus pith, flint, and a final saline snap. Nothing soft, nothing sweet, nothing unnecessary.
- Varietal
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Blend
- 100% Sauvignon Blanc
- Vineyards
- Terres Blanches estate, Kimmeridgian clay-limestone slopes, Sancerre
- Alcohol
- 12.5%
- Organic / Biodynamic
- No
- Skin Contact
- No
Food Pairing
The tangy acidity of Loire Valley goat cheese echoes the wine's own acid structure, while lemon thyme amplifies the herbal notes and toasted hazelnuts provide a textural counterpoint.
Domaine des Terres Blanches farms steep, chalk-white limestone slopes in the village of Sancerre, where the distinctive Kimmeridgian soils impart a flinty mineral signature that defines the estate's lean, age-worthy Sauvignon Blanc.
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