Francois Crochet

Loire ValleyFrance
François Crochet, winemaker from Sancerre, Loire Valley
François Crochet's vineyards in Sancerre, Loire Valley
Sauvignon blanc vines from François Crochet's vineyards in Sancerre
Kimmeridgian rocks in Sancerre
Mixture of limestone marl, chalk and flint from François Crochet's vineyards
François Crochet's vineyards in Sancerre, Loire Valley
François Crochet walking through his vineyards in Sancerre
François Crochet's vineyards in Sancerre
Rocks in Sancerre composed of Kimmeridgian, an ancient tiny sea creature that closely resembles today’s oyster
Kimmeridgian rocks in Sancerre from François Crochet's vineyards
François Crochet's vineyard rocks in Sancerre
Old wine bottles of François Crochet's Sancerre blanc
Sauvignon blanc vines from François Crochet's vineyards in Sancerre
François Crochet vineyards contain a mixture of limestone marl, chalk and flint.

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All writing and photography are original works by Ted Vance.

After enology studies and stints at many wineries (highlighted by Domaine Bruno Clair), François took over his father’s Sancerre winery in Bué. Approximately 11 hectares on 30 parcels display a range of aspects from flat to steep, and north to south. Most of the grapes are the lieux-dits Le Petit Chemarin, Le Grand Chemarin, Le Chêne Marchand and Les Exils. Organic certified and working with biodynamic methods, the terroirs range between Kimmeridgian limestone marls, silex, various other limestone formations, and iron-rich clay. He’s one of the first growers in the appellation to pick, and the whites are whole cluster pressed and fermented and aged in steel or old tronconic oak vats. François’ Sancerre Rosé made entirely from Pinot Noir undergoes a short maceration with the fermentation and aging in steel. While a master of white, his reds are also revered in his appellation and are fermented in stainless and aged in old tronconic oak vats. They’re unfined, lightly filtered, and contain added SO2.
Sancerre Rose

Francois Crochet - 2023 Sancerre Rosé

Price: $34.00
Size: 750ml
Availability: 

Out of stock

Type of Wine: Rosé
Grape(s): 100% Pinot Noir
Style: High acid, Mineral

About The Wine

It’s never easy to pick a favorite wine, especially if you’ve made it a habit of drinking well with Europe’s best wine regions. That said, we can’t say which rosé in our collection tops our list, but if we were to choose the most complex and energized, it would probably be this one made entirely of Pinot Noir. A textbook example of finely wrought Sancerre rosé, this is hard to keep your hands off, but keep in mind that it will age effortlessly for numerous years. (Tip: Don’t believe the myth about the ageability of rosé; especially Pinot Noir rosés from northern France. They are often even better the year following their release.) A short maceration on the skins here typically laces the wine’s charming but deeply layered nose with the essence of elegant green citrus, sweet pink rose, passion fruit, and fresh green herbs. This wine gets top honors if you need a little extra complexity and tension in your rosé.