Last Friday is not a good day to drink wine according to biodynamic calendar, not fruit day and not flower day. I think it is better to avoid expensive so I opt for cheaper wine. Suddenly thinking I haven’t drunk any Sancerre for a long time. Given the summer heat, why not enjoy a bottle of Sancerre with some simple seafood?
Walking into Watsons Wine Cellar, as always, I started to look for wines on discount now. Found this bottle of 2011 Domaine Vacheron Sancerre on special price of $160. Searching information about this domaine on web and I found this is a domaine fully adopted biodynamic farming. I’m not saying biodynamic farming practices will always produce better wines. Yet, it is no doubt that adopting biodynamic farming practices require more manual work and usually more expensive to operate. This at least show the commitment and devotion of a producer.
This Sancerre has complex and intense aromas of lemon, orange, pear, peach, grass, mineral and hints of honey and floral. It is much more weightier than a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc in palate with lemon peel aftertaste. For the price of $160, I think that this is really good and worth recommendation.
If you are not sure about the difference about Sancerre and New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, this one provides a good comparison. It is less refreshing and less aromatic than a typical New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Yet, it is more complex and definitely more mineral in taste.
How does it pair with my seafood?
Matching with freshed blanched shrimps, it is an acceptable match but not outstanding. The wine carries too much weight comparing to the shrimp. Even if I dip shrimp into soya sauce, it is still not an outstanding match. While the weight of the shrimp has been increased and this makes the wine lighter, it brings out bitterness in the wine that I don’t like. I believe a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc would match better.
The next dish I paired is grilled Salmon and this is really a fantastic match! The weight of salmon is much higher than shrimp and this matched Sancerre much better since this Sancerre is quite full-bodied. In addition, the acidity of the Sancerre cut through the fatness of salmon really well also. A very good pairing that you may want a try!
Purchase Watsons Wine Cellar (Original $198 / Special $160)