I have to remember, if I want to spend some time with Dominique Roger of Domaine du Carrou, I can't do it at the Salon des Vins de Loire. This fabulous trade show for Loire Valley wines is an annual stop for me, but if you want to see a guy like Dominique, you have to make the drive to Bué. His table was packed for 2 days straight, with just about every important sommelier from France, Belgium and the UK standing in line to taste the new wines and to make small talk with one of the best producers in Sancerre. Several times, I fought my way through the crowds to get a few tastes of the new releases (just wait until the rosé arrives, whoa...) and to say hey to Dominique. After my third attempt and at least twice that many elbows to my ribs, I decided, next year, my first stop in France after the airport will be Bué.

Dominique Roger, whose family has been making Sancerre in Bué since the 17th century, produces vibrant, sharply focused wines from limestone-rich soils. His white wines have been staples at the Corkscrew since the day we opened the shop. The Sancerre La Jouline is the product of 50 year old vines perched high on two slopes of sheer limestone. The wine is uncommonly fine, with a brilliant, pale green color and soaring aromatics of green apples, pear and jasmine. This is chiseled, tightly wound and incredibly complex Sancerre, I’d argue, one of the best in the world. Pair this with oven baked Halibut or Talapia with a lemon caper sauce or mango chutney, it would also be a perfect pairing for a creamy goat cheese.