Domaine Emile Balland Sancerre 'Croq Caillotte' 2023, 75cL White WineBy Winebuyers

Domaine Emile Balland's Sancerre 'Croq Caillotte' 2023 is a refined white wine. This wine is as good as it gets, offering terrific value and quality. It has a flinty, citrusy and floral character, with flavours of green apple and gooseberry. The wine has a lovely silky texture and a real zest and verve on the finish. It pairs well with fleshy white fish and is a match made in heaven with goats cheese. This tiny domaine in the Loire was started by Emile Balland in 1999. The Ballands have been making wines in the Loire since 1650. Emile has just one hectare of Sancerre and this cuvée comes from the steep, south-facing slopes of the Amigny area of Sancerre. His philosophy is to interfere as little as possible in the vineyard and let the vines express their true terroir. Since 2019, he has been using the services of 'Viking', a horse to plough parts of his vineyards. He calls his Sancerre Croq Caillotte in recognition of the flavour imparted by the white stones covering the vineyards.