Fournier Pere et Fils 2024 "Les Belles Vignes" Sancerre Blanc

95pts Decanter Magazine

The 2024 Fournier "Les Belles Vignes" Sancerre represents a triumph of precision over a historically challenging Loire Valley vintage. While 2024 was marked by extreme rainfall and mildew pressure that significantly reduced yields across France, the resulting wines—particularly from elite producers like Fournier—possess a rare concentration and a vivid, electric acidity. This cuvée is an dynamic blend of Sauvignon Blanc sourced from the appellation's three distinct soil types: the limestone "Caillottes," the flinty "Silex," and the clay-heavy "Terres Blanches." This vineyard site and geological trifecta yields a wine that is more aromatically complete than single-vineyard bottlings, leading with intense notes of lemon zest, pink grapefruit, and white peach, layered over a distinct mineral core of crushed stone and gunflint.

A masterclass in tension, offering a vivid aromatic profile of lime zest, grapefruit, and blackcurrant bud underscored by white peach. This vintage is defined by its "nerve," featuring an electric, precise palate that maintains a satiny, "lemon-sorbet" texture from aging on fine lees. This weight provides a sophisticated balance to the wine’s high-toned linearity without muting its signature freshness. What distinguishes this bottling is the expert integration of Sancerre’s three primary soils: limestone for floral aromatics, clay for mid-palate structure, and flint for a persistent, smoky mineral core. As it breathes, the fruit transitions into sophisticated notes of crushed rock and elderflower with a crystalline, saline finish. Eschewing the soft ripeness of warmer years, this 2024 release prioritizes mineral depth and a vibrating acidity that remains remarkably clean and focused.