Jean Pabiot & Fils

There’s something immediately likeable about this Sancerre. It feels open and expressive from the start, but still very classical, with the clay, limestone, and flint quietly doing their thing in the background. The nose leads with citrus zest and crisp white fruit, then a little curl of smoke and struck-flint character comes through and gives the whole thing more depth than you first expect. There’s some lemon peel, white grapefruit, crunchy pear, maybe even a little green plum thing going on. The palate is a touch fuller than the nose suggests, with ripe fruit through the middle but a clean mineral line keeping everything pulled together. The acidity is bright without getting screechy, and there’s just enough texture to stop this from feeling like Sauvignon Blanc on autopilot. The finish hangs around nicely, all citrus, stone, and a faint smoky note. This is very much an oysters-and-goat’s-cheese Sancerre, but I’d happily put it next to simply cooked white fish too.