2009 CROCHET LUCIEN SANCERRE "Crochet’s basic 2009 Sancerre – incorporating the fruit of younger vines and less-ripe but geologically diverse sites, and still in tank when I tasted it – is indistinctly but attractively scented with a greenhouse-like amalgam of leafy and flowering things, along with lime and a touch of gooseberry. White pepper and nettle that I imagine pointing toward the wine’s flint component combine with the citrus and berry for a strikingly pungent as well as saline, chalky, long-lasting palate impression so that, as Crochet notes, despite high ripeness and just over 13.5% alcohol, it’s still “very Sauvignon” as well as “very straight Sancerre.” Given that the high ripeness of this vintage does not seem to lend itself to nuance, charm, or (with some exceptions) really luscious tropical fruit character, I’ll be happy to settle over the next couple of years for the rectitude displayed here!" Robert Parker 89-88 points