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    Sancerre

    France

    Three soils with local names, white earth, pebbles and flint, on steep hills above the Loire.

    30–50° N30–50° SequatorSancerre
    Vineyard area
    2 800 ha (2009)1
    Country
    France
    Rocks in the profile
    marl, limestone

    Three soils

    The soils have local names. Terres blanches are Kimmeridgian marls.1 Caillotes, also called cris, are soils on Oxfordian and Portlandian limestones.1 Silex, or chailloux, are clay-siliceous soils of Cenomanian and Eocene age.1 The profile shows the marl and limestone; the flint soils are not drawn.

    marllimestone
    Schematic profile based on the sources, not to scale.

    Hills and river

    The vineyard spreads over steep hills in 14 communes of the Cher, with gradients that in places exceed 50%.1 The climate is a degraded oceanic one, and the Pays Fort hills to the west soften it by a foehn effect.1 The Loire acts as a thermal regulator, draining cold air from the side valleys.1

    Two grapes

    White Sancerre comes only from Sauvignon Blanc, red and rosé only from Pinot Noir.1 After phylloxera the vineyard was progressively replanted with Sauvignon Blanc for white wines.1 In 2009 it covered about 2,800 hectares.1

    Timeline

    1. 1931

      A court ruling of 20 July restricts the Sancerre name to wines of the area.1

    2. 1936

      The Sancerre AOC is recognised by decree of 14 November.1

    3. 2011

      The current cahier des charges is approved by decree of 25 August.1

    Grapes

    Soils

    Sources

    1. Cahier des charges de l'appellation d'origine contrôlée « Sancerre » (Bulletin officiel du ministère de l'Agriculture). Ministère de l'Agriculture / INAO. level 1 · checked 2026-10-13