2018 Domaine Raimbault-Pineau Sancerre Blanc 750 ml

Our top Sancerre is back, and the delicious 2018 comes from the vintage that could quite possibly be the region’s best ever. In this crystalline white, Domaine Raimbault-Pineau embodies everything we love about France’s best appellation for Sauvignon Blanc. 

Effusive aromas of lemongrass, white flowers, green apples, and limestone pave the way for a brisk, mouthwatering palate whose fresh-squeezed lemon, lime zest, and minerality make this an energetic, brilliantly integrated addition to any collection or dinner table.

This crisp, mineral-rich Sauvignon Blanc comes from a family of vignerons that has been growing grapes in the eastern Loire for more than 300 years. The vines in the pristine Raimbault-Pineau vineyards are rooted in the chalky clay and limestone soils of Sancerre, which imbue the juicy and floral wine with the stony minerality and sleek austerity that we expect from top-quality Sancerre—the world’s benchmark for Sauvignon Blanc.

Sancerre as profound as the 2018 has been many, many years in the making.

In 1946, right after the end of WWII, Lucien Raimbault was able to do something that his ancestors never had the means to do: He purchased vineyards in Sancerre.

Before Lucien staked the family’s permanent claim, ten generations of Raimbaults had been farming the chalky hillsides of the eastern Loire—a history that reaches back three centuries. Today, the family continues to work the original Sancerre plot purchased by Lucien in 1946, as well as 40 separate plots of AOC Sancerre vines, all located around the village of Sury-en-Vaux. They now craft their benchmark wines from an unparalleled tapestry of lots, and the 2018 Sancerre is stunningly indicative of what makes Domaine Raimbault-Pineau a producer to watch vintage after vintage.

The 2018 growing season started beautifully, with early springtime flowering that gave the vines a chance to take advantage of the perfect weather of the season. Aside from rains in June, the rest of the vintage proceeded impeccably. Harvest was one of those rare instances where producers could wait until their grapes had reached the exact level of ripeness that they desired, without having to rush it to beat inclement weather. According to the Loire Valley wine board, “Even the oldest winegrowers can scarcely remember a better Loire Valley harvest, both in quality and yield; 2018 will be etched on our memories as a historic vintage” with “highly aromatic, flavourful wines.”

The 2018 Sancerres are starting to finally hit the market, and we expect them to be in high demand. Once reviews of the best of this beguiling vintage start to roll in, prices are likely to be at a premium for the top ones. At under $30, the 2018 Domaine Raimbault-Pineau isn’t just a great value in Sancerre, but a remarkable opportunity to own the best of the spectacular vintage at a case-buy price. That doesn’t happen often, and once we sell out of this astounding wine, it’ll be a long time before it happens again.