Philippe Raimbault 2007 “Apud Sariacum” Sancerre

*Bottle #77: Philippe Raimbault 2007 “Apud Sariacum” Sancerre Loire Valley
*Price Tag: $23
*Running Tab: $1,088

It’s been so long since I’ve posted that the site logged me out and forgot my password.

Mostly true and sad, I’ll say.

That being said, I’m back. Back after a job change (yes, now I am slinging wine for a living to fellow foodies and lushes throughout the Seattle area), trying to cram in stressful wine drinking sessions with friends and co-workers alike, all followed by a few shameful, half-assed attempts at posts.

And here’s my full-ass. Wait, what?

To the naked eye (or one who hasn’t written on wine in a while), the logo of the label slapped on this bottle of Philippe Raimbault Sancerre might just look like a funky Nautilus shell but the story behind it is all in the dirt that feeds the vine.

The Raimbault vineyard is home to soil that dates back to the Jurassic period and houses fossils of ancient sea creatures, many more than 130 million years old. Fossils similar to the shell portrayed on the label. It’s said that Philippe Raimbault has a collection of these fossils on display in his cellar. Talk about decrepit…

The name of this wine, “Apud Sariacum,” is respectfully the ancient name of the Sury-en-Vaux village. The wine was exclusively made from this village’s vines.

This village in the greater Loire Valley, whose current mayor is a family member of the Raimbault wine legacy, had a population of just over 700 in a 2006 census and is one of the few communes (although tiny) permitted to grow grapes for Sancerre AOC wine.

And that brings us to an above mentioned Sancerre wine, the Philippe Raimbault Apud Sariacum 2007 Sancerre.

Rimming the glass with a gorgeous golden hue, this 100% Sauvignon Blanc had raging aromatics that came busting out of the glass as if they had been holding their breath the entire time they spent sealed up. Talk about bottled up…

Fresh lemon zest shavings, limestone minerality, hints of banana and apparent acidity, this Sancerre was most intriguing with its key lime and kiwi fruit tones. They were so absorbingly fragrant, I was literally smelling them after I put the glass down.

With a smooth attack, the exotic fruits and minerality were rich yet still seamlessly refreshing with the kiwi present in the front and the key lime in the back. Medium-bodied with sensible acidity balancing out weight and the fruit, this wine not only can stand alone, pair nicely with fish or simply a Caesar salad and even cure a hangover. I stand here today as living proof.

While researching, I stumbled upon this April 15th post from the New York Times by wine critic Eric Asimov who covered merely the word “Sancerre.” I enjoyed, your turn:

“The soft sibilance, the internal alliteration, the smooth completion, whether you give it the clipped French pronunciation or simply ease off the word American-style — it’s a beautiful sound, suggestive of beautiful wines.”

Divine, right? And he’s only talking about the word… Just wait til you see how it tastes, man.

Score: 9.