Dom Philippe Auchere 2023 Sancerre

The Wine

This wine offers classic notes of citrus, Granny Smith apple, pink grapefruit and Asian pear with a distinct minerality and lemon on its lingering finish. The Sancerre region is famed for its Oxfordian Limestone soils, which are at the root of its magisterial reign over the rest of the world's Sauvignon Blancs, as delicious as they may be. 

The wine's zesty freshness argue for pairing it with a wide range of dishes, from seafood dishes such as oysters, grilled shrimp, or seared scallops to a fresh goat cheese salad with arugula, toasted almonds, and finished with a light touch of citrus vinaigrette. As a contrast, the wine also works well with rich dishes such as a creamy pasta, roasted chicken, and lightly grilled fish.

The Winery

Philippe Auchère is a wine-grower in the town of Bué, a stone’s throw from
the village of Sancerre and in the heart of the demarcated region. 

He takes a responsible and natural approach to wine-growing: maintaining his vineyards
in a way that promotes soil health and biodiversity. Hoeing and mowing are the two methods he has chosen for the maintenance of his vineyards. When necessary, he uses microtractors, lighter and more energy efficient than straddle tractors, as they effectively limit soil compaction and minimize the vineyard's CO2 footprint.

Self-taught and passionate about his work, he adapts his growing practices to the specific needs of each vineyard. This customization is less efficient and more expensive, but it allows him to achieve the most beautiful harvest possible, and this quality is evident in his wines. All of Philippe's wine ferment with indigenous yeasts, naturally present on the skins of the wine and in his winery, thus his wines reflect the unique microflora from his specific site.

And there's more to Philippe's obsessive return to natural farming techniques: Gaston, his pig, keeps undergrowth under control, while his hree sheep - Rasta, Rockett and Lola - maintain the green spaces. Last but not least, a few hens take care of the snails and slugs that would otherwise head straight for the vegetable garden.