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Vatan 2005 Sancerre Clos la Néore (Loire) – Classic. Mineral-infused grapefruit, thick and rindy. Big, rich, powerful, yet utterly exquisite. (2/08)
Vatan 2003 Sancerre Clos la Néore (Loire) – Heavy makrut lime, flat, and short. A victim of its vintage. (2/08)
Vatan 1997 Sancerre Clos la Néore (Loire) – Not yet fully mature, which is saying something by itself. There’s a little cream to the highly-developed but well-balanced sweetness here, but between that and a crystalline foundation are layers upon layers of green- and yellow-hued sediment spiked with needles of citrus rind. This wine doesn’t just pulse, it throbs. Even at this stage, and not from a universally-adored vintage, I have to say that this is the best non-dessert sauvignon blanc I’ve ever had, and it wins that competition by some margin. Brilliant. (8/07)
