Domaine Michel Vattan, Cuvée ‘O-P’ Sancerre Blanc, 2024, Loire Valley, France

Crunktastic Sancerre with peaches, lemons & sea pebbles that ka-pow in your mouth!

About the wine

There’s Sancerre, and then there’s Sancerre that rallies you to do something grand and extravagant. Wine imbiber, meet Nathalie and Pascal’s Cuvée O-P, which (nerd alert) stands for Oxfordian limestone and Portlandian soils. 100% Sauvignon Blanc that rests on the fine lees for a couple of months to snatch some texture before it cracks in your mouth like a firework display of ripe peaches, lemon and sea pebbles. Who knew that 45-year-old vines and a bunch of geriatric rocks could produce this crunktastic white that ricochets rich fruit faster than your fired-up neurones on caffeine?

Tasting notes

This wine presents a pale straw colour with greenish highlights. The nose is expressive, offering aromas of citrus fruits, green apple, and subtle floral notes, underscored by a characteristic minerality. On the palate, it is light-bodied with vibrant acidity, delivering flavours of lemon zest, lime, and a hint of flintiness, leading to a crisp and refreshing finish.

About the winemaker

Located northwest of Sancerre is the sleepy storybook village of Sury-en-Vaux, where Roger and Andrée Vattan established the family business and purchased the first 2 football fields' worth of vines in 1930. The lucky recipient of the family business was their son, Michel, who grew this pocket-sized estate into a whopping 9-hectare estate and was supported by Nathalie and Pascal Joulin, who joined the estate in 2002. Understanding the know-hows of Domaine Michel Vattan and with no Vattan heir in sight, Nathalie and Pascal were armed to take over the estate in 2008. Since then, the Joulins are guided by the rhythms of Mother Nature to grow high-quality fruit that transforms into nervy Sancerres of Domaine Michel Vattan.