2023 La Legende de Saint-Martin Cuvee Prestige Sancerre 750 ml

When we stopped off five years ago at a small bistro in Tours and tasted La Légende de St.-Martin’s Cuvée Prestige—with its crisp minerality, energetic fruit, and pure refreshment—we knew we’d move heaven and earth to secure this exceptional value for our members. 

After that first taste, we went straight to the estate, where visiting the father-and-son team of Emmanuel and Jean-Paul Fleuriet feels like taking a trip into the past. Dripping, rough-hewn faucets jut out from cobbled stone walls, and dim lamps barely penetrate the ancient gloom of their cellars, parts of which date back to 1735. 

The Fleuriets’ 30 acres in the heart of Verdigny have everything required for elite Sancerre production: vineyards with precipitous slopes—some as steep as 40%; the region’s classic mix of limestone and clay; and generations-old cellars that keep an even temperature throughout the year. The only snag: They seemed uninterested in selling. 

The Fleuriets simply didn’t care about a business plan to expand to the US. They didn’t care about marketing. They didn’t even have a tech sheet for their wines. They just wanted to make extraordinarily good Loire Sauvignon Blanc, as the family had for generations.

For two years, “non, merci” was all we got. Finally we named a price. We told the Fleuriets we’d handle all the marketing, paperwork, and logistics—and we’d pay up front. Everybody wins. They can keep their focus on the cellar, and our members will never have to pay for their marketing department.  We’re thrilled that La Legende is back!