Sancerre is synonymous with Sauvignon Blanc, a myriad of soils, and cool damp weather that's treacherous for viticulture. It is certainly not synonymous with organic farming, with biodynamic work being a nonstarter. Yet, there's one vigneron who's taken the nearly singular step of adopting both. His actions were met with suspicion and even some ridicule from his more conventionally-minded neighbors.

Today, Vincent Gaudry carries the torch for Sancerre's natural approach. In the past I've offered his blended cuvée of three distinct soils, today we turn to his magnum opus that hails from a single parcel of old vines on the cherished silex flint soil. A tête de cuvée at $32 per bottle is uncommon to say the least, and today's offer in the only listing in the US.

L'Esprit de Rudolf was the first parcel that Vincent applied biodynamic work to. It's an homage to the father of biodynamics, Austrian Rudolf Steiner who began in 1924 to first spread the organic agricultural movement through a series of lectures. 

Vincent's single parcel, Les Bouloises, sits on silex (flint) soils atop Sancerre's limestone/clay mother rock. The very old vines and southwest exposition make this Gaudry's most structured, and deeply textured wine. Of all his cuvées this is the least extroverted in the Sauvignon Blanc character, as the tropical and grassy notes associated with the grape variety are not nearly as obvious here. Instead, there's a smoky mineral streak met with racy citrus notes and crystalline definition.

The Cotat cousins and Vatan in nearby Chavignol work on kimmeridgian limestone crafting wines that fetch $60 to $150+ per bottle. On the other side of the valley in Sury-en-Vaux, Gaudry's famed silex soils are also home to the most regal interpretations of Sauvignon Blanc in the world. At only $32 per bottle this delivers in a category with no peers, and I've created special pricing to reflect that.

2015 Vincent Gaudry Sancerre L'Esprit de Rudolf
$32 per bottle.