2020 Cherrier Père et Fils Les 7 Hommes Sancerre Loire Valley 750 ml

Loire locals know the tiny-production, estate-grown Les 7 Hommes Sancerre is too good to share, and there are only a few chances to try it short of stumbling across it in a trendy local café. With mouthwatering raciness and brightness drawn from the steep, sun-dappled hills of Amigny, it’s an in-the-know find from dream Sancerre terroir.

The Cherrier Père et Fils’ estate encompasses a trifecta of famous Sancerre soils, a highly coveted combination that yields stunningly complex wines. From vines averaging 70 years-old, Les 7 Hommes weaves those diverse soils together in a seamless tapestry of Sancerre terroir. 

It’s a dextrous balance of fruit, mineral, and floral elements that makes Les 7 Hommes such a versatile food companion—the type that can take a dinner from enjoyable to transcendent—and a favorite among sommeliers from top restaurants, if they can get their hands on it. Don Coen, the beverage director of MICHELIN-starred Temporis, loves the wine’s sophistication. It’s “less intense and more mineral driven making it food friendly,” he says. “It melds with flavors on the palate rather than competing or knocking them out.”

Since the 1930s, the Cherrier family has worked 32 small, enviable plots around the village of Amigny, one of Sancerre’s most renowned hamlets. Over four generations, they’ve developed the deep expertise required to craft distinct Sancerre bottlings. They allow the Sancerre time to develop texture and complexity by aging it on the lees, preserving the wine’s fruit vibrance and mouthwatering mineral notes. 

It’s a wholly satisfying wine, an ideal snapshot of Sancerre, and a perfect dinner companion.