When we stopped off a few 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 2025 vintage is shaping up to be one of the best Sancerre has seen in a decade. Warm, dry growing conditions kept disease pressure low and delivered whistle-clean fruit, while unusually cool nights preserved the bright acidity that defines great Loire Sauvignon Blanc. Harvest came early—one of the earliest on record—and the results speak for themselves.

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!