Domaine Vacheron, 2020 Update
It has been instructive to return to check out some wines from the 2018 vintage in Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé this year. Having reported on a tasting with Alphonse Mellot Junior last week which focused more on the 2016 and 2017 vintages, with fewer than a handful from 2018, in this report from Domaine Vacheron the 2018 vintage features much more prominently. All in all 2018 is a fine vintage which I suspect has given us some of the greatest red wines from Anjou and Touraine in at least three decades, and some exceptionally strong sweet wines too, yet it was more challenging for vignerons looking to keep the freshness in the early picked varieties, in other words (in this corner of the Loire Valley) Sauvignon Blanc.
The vignerons are all delighted with the vintage of course; the fruit displayed amazing quality at picking, and the volumes were exceptionally high, so there should be no problem balancing the books once all these bottles have been sold. The wines are expressive, flavoursome, rich in fruit and also texture. The problem with some cuvées, however, is with the acidity, freshness and balance. While some easy-going and early-drinking cuvées which focus on simple fruit can be delicious, there is no doubt that this is a vintage which in general can feel a little short on acidity. Some white wines lack a sense of vivacity and frame as a result.
The Wines
I tasted these wines immediately after tasting those of Alphonse Mellot, and it was easy to perceive the character of the vintage that runs through the entry-level cuvées of both domaines. Here the 2018 Sancerre Blanc is rich in plush orchard fruits, with a ripe and caramelised edge and soft acidity, parallels for which can be seen in the Mellot wine. It doesn’t live up to the promise seen in a sample drawn from cuve a year ago; I do worry that some basic cuvées from this vintage are already beginning a downhill slide (although, to be fair, some I tasted during a Decanter panel tasting of Sauvignon Blanc back in February, before the Covid-19 lockdown, were still looking good at that time).
