2019 Daniel Crochet Sancerre Rouge 750 ml

The Wall Street Journal has referred to Sancerre Rouge as “the connoisseur’s wine,” calling it “sensational drinking,” and Crochet’s version truly is sensational. It’s a delicious, pale-ruby 100% Pinot Noir raised on the same pebble-strewn clay-limestone soils that produce some of the most famous Loire white wines in the world—and it shows exactly why The Wine Advocate praised Crochet as “definitely a producer I would always consider to buy.”

It also happens to be sensationally rare: Only one-fifth of Sancerre is red, and just a sliver of that makes it out of France. You’ll be extremely lucky if you ever see Crochet on a store shelf, which is why we’re extra thrilled to have it right here, right now. 

While Sancerre shares much of the same limestone soils as Burgundy, the cooler northern climate has historically favored white grapes over red. But with climate change, Pinot Noir in Sancerre is filling out with ripe muscularity. This 2019 maintains its racy, refreshing acidity, even as the fruit becomes richer and juicier, coiled in soft, smooth tannins and closing on a chalky finish.  

In the town of Bué, the name Crochet commands immense respect. Daniel Crochet, a fourth-generation winemaker who took over the family business in 1996, produces this wine from a few acres he farms fastidiously and organically.

In the excellent 2019 vintage, Crochet hardly had to sort any Pinot grapes—the fruit was near-perfect, each berry disclosing luscious elegance honed by a long fermentation process and aging in a mix of barrels and stainless steel. This can’t-miss red will open up a whole new world of Pinot Noir for you.