Daniel Chotard, Sancerre Racines, 2023

Racines — 'roots' — is a nod to a Chotard winegrowing history that stretches back more than two centuries, and the wine itself comes from a tiny old-vine parcel (vines averaging forty-five to sixty-five years old) on Kimmeridgian limestone. Unlike the estate's classic stainless-steel Sancerre, Racines is vinified and aged in 300- and 500-liter oak barrels, a choice that adds texture and a fine wood grain without ever stepping on the wine's chalky tension. The result is Sancerre at its most ambitious from this address: layered, taut, and built for the cellar. Decant if you're opening it young; even better, give it five more years.