François Crochet, 2018 Update
François Crochet seemed to burst onto the Sancerre wine scene a little over a decade ago, a classic example of the younger generation breathing new life into a familial domaine. His father ran one of the many Crochet domaines based in Bué, but it was not particularly distinguished. With the arrival of François, who brought his experience in Bordeaux, Burgundy and New Zealand back to the family domaine, things seemed to shift up a gear. The wines suddenly had more energy, and looked more serious.
Since then the range has expanded somewhat, François Crochet (pictured above) having wisely followed the trend for single-vineyard cuvées, showcasing his many tiny parcels of vines which lie within on some of Bué’s most famous vineyards. As is the case with some of my other favourite vignerons in Sancerre, however, these wines are unfortunately not always easy to get hold of, especially those single-vineyard cuvées (each comes from a parcel less than a hectare in size, if I recall correctly) and they are thus produced in very restricted quantities.
Please log in to continue reading: