Domaine Fouassier
A distant glimpse of the hilltop town of Sancerre is sufficient to have many a painter reaching for easel and palette, immediately entranced by its fairytale-like charm. It is easy to forget that this was once a fortified town, its narrow streets and tunnelled cellars surrounded by huge defensive walls and six great stone towers which rose high above Sancerre’s rooftops and the surrounding countryside. Today only one such tower still stands, on the eastern edge of the town, the iconic Tour des Fiefs. The others were all destroyed during the 16th century, following an eight-month siege of the Huguenot-controlled town during the Wars of Religion.
Today the town of Sancerre is rather more welcoming to outsiders, especially if you approach it from the southwest, perhaps after a long drive up from the lower parts of the Loire Valley. The road up to the town cuts through the French countryside like a laser beam, the tarmac running towards the horizon with an admirable determination. With time the fields of wheat and copses of trees are replaced by vineyards, and you realise Sancerre must at last be near. Suddenly, after two quick bends in the road, you find yourself on a long avenue lined with trees.
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