Appellation
Sancerre
Identity card
VillageAOPWhiteRedRosé
Loire Valley › Centre-Loire · Recognised on 14 November 1936
- Village
- Regional
Key points
- White 65, rosé 63, red 59 hl/ha at most; at least 10.5% natural alcohol.
- Two grapes: Sauvignon Blanc for white, Pinot Noir for red and rosé.
- Dry wines: at most 4 g/l of sugars (white, rosé), 2.5 g/l (red).
Grape varieties
Production rules
10.5
% ABV
Minimum natural alcohol
6,100
vines/ha
Minimum planting density
Minimum ageing: Reds: aged until at least 1 March after the harvest
- Minimum natural alcohol
- The alcohol the grapes' own sugar must be able to give, without enrichment: a ripeness threshold at harvest. For reference: 9 % ABV to 14 % ABV across 79 Oenopia appellations of the same colour.
- Minimum planting density
- The fewest vines allowed per hectare. For the same yield, more vines means fewer grapes on each. For reference: 4,000 vines/ha to 9,000 vines/ha across 136 Oenopia appellations of the same colour.
- Minimum ageing
- A minimum ageing period the specification requires before the wine may be sold to consumers.
Terroir
- Lie of the land: Left-bank hills, slopes sometimes steeper than 50%
- Soils: Terres blanches (marls), limestone caillottes, flint
- Climate: Degraded oceanic, sheltered by the Pays Fort; 650 mm a year
Wine style
- White
- citrus
- tropical fruit
- white flowers
- round, fresh finish
- Red
- red fruit
- supple tannins
- power and finesse
- Rosé
- delicate and fruity
- pale pink to salmon
- fresh finish
Boundaries: INAO, AOC vineyard plot delimitation (September 2026 edition) · Open Licence
Specification
25 August 2011
Labelling terms
- The geographical name "Val de Loire" may be added
- The name of a registered lieu-dit may appear on the label
Nearby appellations
Sources
- Official sourceCahier des charges de l'appellation d'origine contrôlée « Sancerre » (BO n° 35 du 2 septembre 2011)— Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO) / Ministère de l'agriculture
- Official sourceCahier des charges de l'appellation d'origine contrôlée « Sancerre »— Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO)
- Reference bookThe Oxford Companion to Wine— Oxford University Press
- Trade bodyVins de Loire — site officiel d'InterLoire— InterLoire — Interprofession des Vins du Val de Loire
In the Centre-Loire, on the left-bank hills facing Pouilly-Fumé, Sancerre covers fourteen communes of the Cher. Recognised in 1936, the appellation makes whites from Sauvignon Blanc alone and reds and rosés from Pinot Noir alone, on three main soil types: the marls known as "terres blanches", the limestones called "caillottes", and flinty soils.
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Sancerre
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