Sancerre: A subtle summer treat

Sancerre has been undercut by new world sauvignon blancs in recent years, but there's nothing quite like the original.

A "juicy blast" from New Zealand is sometimes just "too loud, too strong, too relentlessly bright", says Susy Atkins in the Daily Telegraph. Treat yourself instead to the "whistle-clean lemon juice, precise and clear" of a true Sancerre - and don't serve it too cold.

A good example is the "strikingly pure" Domaine Vacheron Sancerre 2013, £19.99 from Waitrose, which has "a dry, crisp finish".

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Or, says the Daily Express, try the elegant Celestin Blondeau Sancerre 2014, £12 from Morrisons. "Refined and lemony," it has a "high acidity and linear, mineral flavours".

Nor is the Sancerre a one-trick region, says Tina Gellie in Decanter: "It's high time to pay attention to the reds which, while still small in number, are fast gaining a reputation for quality and Burgundian elegance."

Chief among these is the Domaine Lucien Crochet, La Croix du Roy 2010, £20, which is aged in a barrel for a year then blended and matured in a tank before bottling. The result is a "beautiful richness and purity", says Decanter.