Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume, at the eastern end of the Loire valley, are the neighbouring spiritual homes of Sauvignon Blanc. Sancerre is on the Left Bank of the river, Pouilly-sur-Loire on the Right. Sancerre sits on a chalk formation that runs north through Chablis and Champagne up to the white cliffs of Dover to the North Downs in Surrey, England.
Raimbaults have made wine here since the 1600s and today there are multiple Raimbaults dotted around the various wine-growing villages to the east of the town of Sancerre.
Didier and Isabelle Raimbault live in the hamlet of Chaudenay between Verdigny and Sury-en-Vaux. Didier’s father Roger had built up the vineyards from 2 hectares in 1960 to 7.5 in 1995. Didier took over in 1996 and thanks, in part, to an uncle who was retiring and wanted to dispose of 6.5 hectares, has built up the family holdings to 18 hectares on two different types of soil; Caillottes (gravel and marl) and Terres Blanches (chalk).
They make three excellent Sancerre whites from their two soil types. Their basic Sancerre is a blend of the two soils. Early bottlings are 70/30 Caillottes/Terres Blanches, later ones 50/50. Both bottlings are direct and expressive, lean and clear.
The Vieilles Vignes comes from 45-50 year-old vines on the Terres Blanches soil and spends 12-18 months on the fine lees for added texture. It may sometimes seem more restrained when first opened but lime and herbal notes soon emerge in the nose, also depth and complexity in the mouth.
Coteline is a limited bottling (2,000 bottles annually) which comes from a steep, south-facing, 1 hectare parcel called “Cotelin”. 65% tank/35% oak.
