98 points Rebecca Gibb, MW (Vinous): "The 2016 Sancerre Clos La Néore is almost Riesling-like in its firm yet fine personality, its unswerving purity and its clear translation of place. Don't expect a seductive Sancerre, this is dry and steely with an appealing bitterness making for a very grown up white wine. It's starting to show early signs of development in its light almond/lanolin character alongside lemon tea. It offers exceptional concentration while being light bodied and provides a steely core of acidity, keeping the wine together and powering on. If you have any in your cellar, I can make myself available for dinner. Drink: 2022-2037. (Aug 2022)"
95 points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): "The 2016 Sancerre Clos la Néore' from Edmund and Anne Vatan has turned out beautifully. Readers may recall that the 2016 vintage was an extremely difficult one across the Loire Valley, but Sancerre at least benefited from far less severe frost damage than was the case elsewhere along the river, so yields were generally only down around ten percent from frost damage here. Hydric stress was a problem later in the summer, but lovely weather in September helped what bunches which were out on the vine ripen nicely and the 2016 Vatan Clos la Néore has come in at a very old school thirteen percent octane in this vintage. The wine is still quite youthful, but offers up a lovely nose of lime, gooseberry, raw almond, a complex base of limestone minerality, early notes of Chartreuse-like botanicals, lime peel and just a wisp of white pepper. On the palate the wine is bright, racy and full-bodied, with a tightly-knit personality, a lovely core, a very complex base of soil, excellent focus and balance and a long, refined and very promising finish. This reminds me a bit of vintages like 2007 and 2008 out of the blocks. 2026-2055+. (May/Jun 2021)"
Literally, no matter what the conditions of the year, whatever Edmond Vatan creates is remarkable, with amazing consistency from vintage to vintage. When asked how he can do this, he replies that it is so simple a matter that it needs no explanation--if you plant low-yielding vines on only the steepest, perfectly exposed slopes, prune severely, provide only necessary and natural treatments, (and as little as possible, forcing the vine down for strength and character), harvesting after all the rest have finished (no problem finding pickers then!) and vinifying according only to the traditional (actually ancient) methods--it becomes a question of comparing the personality of each vintage, not which is "better". A unique wine which is unequalled, and only approached in Sancerre by the Cotat Domaine, which is enormous in comparison to Vatan (total production 500 cases, of which we in America get 125).
95 points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): "The 2016 Sancerre Clos la Néore' from Edmund and Anne Vatan has turned out beautifully. Readers may recall that the 2016 vintage was an extremely difficult one across the Loire Valley, but Sancerre at least benefited from far less severe frost damage than was the case elsewhere along the river, so yields were generally only down around ten percent from frost damage here. Hydric stress was a problem later in the summer, but lovely weather in September helped what bunches which were out on the vine ripen nicely and the 2016 Vatan Clos la Néore has come in at a very old school thirteen percent octane in this vintage. The wine is still quite youthful, but offers up a lovely nose of lime, gooseberry, raw almond, a complex base of limestone minerality, early notes of Chartreuse-like botanicals, lime peel and just a wisp of white pepper. On the palate the wine is bright, racy and full-bodied, with a tightly-knit personality, a lovely core, a very complex base of soil, excellent focus and balance and a long, refined and very promising finish. This reminds me a bit of vintages like 2007 and 2008 out of the blocks. 2026-2055+. (May/Jun 2021)"
Literally, no matter what the conditions of the year, whatever Edmond Vatan creates is remarkable, with amazing consistency from vintage to vintage. When asked how he can do this, he replies that it is so simple a matter that it needs no explanation--if you plant low-yielding vines on only the steepest, perfectly exposed slopes, prune severely, provide only necessary and natural treatments, (and as little as possible, forcing the vine down for strength and character), harvesting after all the rest have finished (no problem finding pickers then!) and vinifying according only to the traditional (actually ancient) methods--it becomes a question of comparing the personality of each vintage, not which is "better". A unique wine which is unequalled, and only approached in Sancerre by the Cotat Domaine, which is enormous in comparison to Vatan (total production 500 cases, of which we in America get 125).
| Product SKU | 338134 |
| Producer | Vatan/Edmond |
| Country | France |
| Region | Loire |
| SubRegion | Sancerre |
| Varietal | Sauvignon Blanc |
| Vintage | 2016 |
| Size | 750ml |
| Color | White |
| Ships To |
