2017 Jean Reverdy et Fils Sancerre Blanc La Reine Blanche 750 ml

Mineral Perfection in a Scintillating Under-$20 Sancerre

Sancerre is the spiritual home of Sauvignon Blanc, especially the villages of Bué, Chavignol, and Verdigny. The latter is where Reverdy’s family has worked the land for 10 generations, crafting textbook Sancerre bursting with scintillating acidity, succulent and pure fruit aromas and flavors. For $19.99, their 2017 Jean Reverdy Sancerre “La Reine Blanche”  delivers all that plus pops of citrus rind, Cara Cara orange, and fresh Loire herbs that collide with lovely minerality, making it clear why the cuvée is named “The White Queen.”

For years, Jean Reverdy et Fils’ single-vineyard Sancerre has been among the best releases from the hamlets of Verdigny. From an estate that dates back to 1650 and a tenth-generation winemaking family, “La Reine Blanche” is an exquisite expression of the region’s three marquee soils, an utterly transparent and sharply delineated snapshot of the terroir.

Its single-vineyard source boasts Sancerre’s three highly sought-after soils: silex (flint), caillottes (pebbles), and the clay and limestone terres blanches, or white earth. This combination imbues La Reine Blanche with the piercing minerality, perfume, and richness that typify classic Sancerre.

This wine comes directly to us via Fran Kysela, a benchmark U.S. importer and Master Sommelier, who was seduced by Jean Reverdy’s Sancerre back in 1988. Traveling through the Loire while working for legendary importer Kermit Lynch, Kysela had a revelatory tasting of Reverdy’s Sancerres—touched with honey and showing gorgeous youthful vibrancy—before hitting it off with Reverdy himself.

With hopes of one day launching his own import business, this was the kind of wine he had in mind. He asked Reverdy then and there if he could someday import their wines to the U.S. “You call me when you’re ready,” was the winemaker’s reply. Six years later, Kysela made the call, and Reverdy gave his blessing. “Reverdy was the first French producer that I ever imported from, and today remains one of my best,” Kysela told us. We were Kysela’s first call when this wine hit U.S. shores, and have insisted on an annual allocation of this ethereal white for Wine Access insiders ever since.

For wine lovers seeking a master class in terroir, this 2017 Jean Reverdy et Fils Sancerre La Reine Blanche is a class unto itself. Wine Spectator rated 2017 one of the Loire’s best vintages since 2010, yielding whites that are “pure and precise.” The La Reine Blanche—vinified and aged in stainless steel without a hint of oak or malolactic fermentation—captures all the definition of the vintage in pure fruit flavors with the marvelous minerality lift of the unique soils. Easily one of our favorite under-$20 Sancerres.