2019 Domaine Patrick Girault Le Vallon des Demoiselles Sancerre 750 ml

On a bright and cloudless Napa Valley afternoon last week, we met up with some of our best friends in the wine business. It was a joyous reunion, and since we hadn’t seen most of them in person in more than a year, there were hearty handshakes and hugs all around. 

Then the 2019 Domaine Patrick Girault Le Vallon des Demoiselles Sancerre came out, and the party became all about the wine. 

Perfectly chilled, poured alongside smoked mussels and potato chips with crème frâiche, Le Vallon des Demoiselles is more than the perfect bottle for a sunny summer afternoon—it’s the kind of endlessly complex, bright, and zesty Sancerre that gave the region its reputation as the world’s standard-bearer for Sauvignon Blanc. 

Girault’s Sancerre held its own with every single one of the high-priced bottles we opened that day. Led by aromas of Key lime, chamomile, honeysuckle, bright spice, and sage, it’s cleansing and focused on the palate, with citrus and limestone flavors coming in wave after refreshing wave. It wraps up with a mouthwatering finish that will have you taking sip after sip without giving it a single thought. 

That combination of complexity and easy drinkability had a half-case going from ice chest to empty in record time. Fortunately, this is the kind of Sancerre that drinks like a showpiece, but is priced for a party.

Patrick Girault and his son Adrien come from a long line of Loire vine-tenders: Their family has worked the soils for eight generations, giving them an enduring respect for Sancerre’s unique terroir. As they’ve expanded their holdings in the prestigious village of Bué from 15 to 30 acres of vines, they’ve adhered to principles that give maximum respect to the environment. They even aerate the soils beneath the vines by hand, using a hoe. 

The Girault domaine’s 38 Sancerre parcels boast varied soils of clay, limestone, and flint. Le Vallon des Demoiselles hails from vines aged an average of 35 years, planted in limestone and clay. After being hand-harvested, the grapes are gently pressed, and the wine settles for 48 hours before fermenting for 40 days in a temperature-controlled environment. After sitting on the fine lees throughout the winter, the Sancerre is racked and bottled in the spring. 

The result is the kind of Sancerre that made this region the go-to for focused, refreshing, mineral-rich Sauvignon Blanc, and it very rarely comes at a price like this. Buy a few to get you through the year!