2011 Edmond Vatan, Sancerre, Clos Neore 1×1.5L

Robert Parker 92-93

Bittersweet and musky floral perfume, mint, and eucalyptus surge from the glass of 2011 Sancerre Clos la Neore – as tasted from tank – and combine with gooseberry preserves, fresh apple, and honeydew melon on a lush, faintly oily, subtly sultry, yet persistently luscious palate. A hint of salted chicken and mushroom stock add a mysterious sense of (Kimmeridgian) place, while the hint of gooseberry and apple skin lends welcome invigoration to a long, saliva-liberating, and hauntingly musky, floral finish. This ought to be one of those rare 2011 Sancerres that will reward attention for more than a decade. (It’s intriguing, incidentally, how distinctive from one another are the two lots whose impromptu blend in my glass is the subject of the above tasting note, even though they began as the same juice.) [David Schildknecht, 06/01/2012]

Anticipated maturity: 2012-2022