Franck Millet Sancerre Blanc 2019 Sancerre, Loire Valley, France 75cl

Domaine Franck Millet sits in the village of Bue, long regarded as one of the finest corners of Sancerre. It is a third-generation family estate, run since 1991 by Betty and Franck Millet, who farm their 22 hectares by hand and green-harvest to keep quality high.

This is pure Sauvignon Blanc, grown for the most part on Sancerre’s classic limestone soils. Those chalky slopes give the wine its tension and its stony, mineral character, the signature that has made the appellation famous. Fermentation and ageing take place entirely in stainless steel, a deliberate choice that keeps the focus on bright fruit and terroir rather than oak, and results in a clean, precise style of white.

The 2019 growing season in the Loire delivered ripe, healthy fruit with plenty of natural acidity, and that balance comes through clearly in the glass. It is a wine with both generosity and cut, drinking well now but with the structure to hold and develop over the next couple of years.

Expect aromas of grapefruit, lemon and freshly cut herbs, lifted by a touch of blackcurrant leaf. The palate is dry and tightly focused, carried by lively acidity to a saline, flinty finish. Serve it well chilled, ideally in a white wine glass to let the aromatics open.

Sancerre remains the benchmark for cool-climate Sauvignon Blanc, and this is a textbook example. If you enjoy zesty, unoaked whites, it is a natural match for shellfish, green salads and fresh goat’s cheese, or simply poured on its own as an aperitif.