Sancerre is a famous enough name with such great terroir that, if you have good old family vineyards, you don't really have to do much to make wine that will sell. Uninspired work can make wines that are perfectly serviceable — if uninspired. There's always some grocery store or café that will gladly stock your wine.

Fortunately for us, though, many young growers actually *want* to do something special. They know that with great vines in great Sancerre terroir, they can make truly great wines, if they go the extra mile.

The Raimbault family has everything a Sancerre winemaker could want: vines going back nearly 50 years, planted in hillside vineyards of classic terres blanches kimmeridgian limestone (about 80%) and portlandian caillottes (20%) of clay and limestone. But this is a family domaine that goes the extra mile. It's run by two brothers, Julien and Clément, the third duo of brothers to do so. Before them their father, Remy, (who is still around, supervising) ran things with his brother, and before that it was their grandfather and great uncle.

The brothers are from the generation of young vignerons who take internships around France — all over the world, really — to learn. Clément spent five years working for some of Sancerre's greatest producers (Alphonse Mellot, Pinard), then with producers like Domaine Trapet in Gevrey Chambertin and Te Mata in New Zealand to gain perspective and experience. They became committed to organic farming and are currently in the certification process.

The result in 2022 was an "entry level" wine that is right in the Sancerre sweet-spot: accessible enough to share with someone just looking for a glass of delicious wine full of citrus and orchard fruit, but with the mineral verve that marks it as a true vin de terroir. 

Domaine du Pré Semelé, Sancerre, 2022 $38.99
"This Sancerre is perfect for gatherings where you want a balanced Sauvignon Blanc to appeal to multiple tastes. Lemon in color, this wine has a nose of golden apple, lemon citrus, Asian pear, brioche and lemon citrus peel. The wine is creamy in texture with some additional notes of bread dough." (Wine Enthusiast)