2013 Gerard Boulay, Sancerre, La Cote, Loire Valley, France.
Gerard Boulay is one of the elite Sancerre producers, they farm by hand and all organic in the historic village of Chavignol, where the domaine owns about 8 hectares with the youngest vines being 45 years old on “terre blanc” soils, most are closer to 70 years old and the Boulay family has been making wine in the area since the late 1,300’s. The wines here are full of vitality and have intense mineral elements, the soils, Kimmerridgian, are the same as found in Chablis, this is especially true of the famed Crus, in particular La Grande Cote, where Boulay has a tiny parcel that they in fact first produced as a single Cru in 2010. Boulay is all about ripe fruit and natural winemaking, no chemicals in the vineyards, always native yeasts and almost no sulfur added, he employs mostly ferments in wood cask and ages in large foudres and neutral large 300L barrels allowing leesy weight to these steely Sauvignon Blanc(s) they truly reflect their terroir, Boulay himself says “C’est la nature qui fait le vin” (Nature makes the wine). To accomplish his goals, great care is taken to ensure quality and transparency, everything maybe come down to nature as he says, but to get the job done, clean and highly sorted grapes are only allowed to be pressed and details show in his passion in the vines as well in the cellar. The 2013 vintage La Cote Sancerre is brilliant, complex and full of energy with layered flavors showing elegance, vigor and beauty throughout with sappy herbs, spice and yeasty notes adding pop to the lemon/lime, white flowers, gooseberry, subtle peach fruits, as well wet stone, chalk dust, lemon grass and brioche. Fine acidity and old world austerity define this amazing example of Cru Sancerre, it is brisk, crisp and feels almost saline, and as mentioned there is a dynamic steeliness and lingers with crushed flinty rocks in a lifted medium weighted white wine that certainly begs for matching cuisine, seriously it wants regional goat cheeses like chèvre, delicate sautéed white fish or even claims, oysters and dishes with fresh picked tangy herbs. I loved the 2012 even more, as it was a touch exotic and more expressive, but this 2013 has plenty of charm and power and is not far off, but be sure to look for 2015 and 2016 Boulay, as these vintages look set to be a cut above for the region, these are great wines and Sauvignon Blanc offerings that can age 10 to 15 years with ease.
($55 Est.) 92+ Points, grapelive
