Lucien Crochet, Sancerre Rosé

You may have noticed that during the last decade or two, many of the historically  “elite” pink wines of the world from warm, Mediterranean regions like Provence, Sicily, and the Rhone Valley have gradually become more full bodied, alcoholic. I’m not sure if it’s climate change or an effort to outperform peers in the category, but the end result is that I don’t find myself reaching for a frosty bottle Etna Rosato with the same enthusiasm I had in the mid 2000s. Instead, in 2026, I think the most exciting wines in this category most often originate from cooler terroirs in Germany, Austria, mountainous zones in Italy, and interior French regions like Sancerre: the home of today’s superb Pinot Noir Rosé from Lucien Crochet.

Lucien Crochet’s family estate was born in the mid-20th century through the union of the Crochet and Pichon families, two storied Sancerre “peasant dynasties” in the village of Bué (home to many of Sancerre’s most beloved cellars like Pinard, Philippe Auchere and one of my favorite up-and-comers, Girault). Lucien Crochet significantly expanded the property to its current thirty-eight hectares (that’s almost 94 acres of vines - this is big property), much of which is situated on the prestigious, steeply sloped vineyards of Clos du Chêne Marchand, which many Sancerre enthusiasts would call the 2nd or 3rd most important hillside in the region. The land is defined by its distinct "griottes"(smaller limestone gravel) and "caillottes" (larger limestone pebbles and rocks) soils, which promote early ripening and impart a signature flinty minerality and bright precision to the fruit. While the overwhelming majority of the domaine is dedicated to Sauvignon Blanc, Crochet also cultivates a small amount of Pinot Noir on clay-limestone plots to produce excellent, structured reds, and a very small amount of today’s delicate, pale hued and always superb rosé.

The 2025 Lucien Crochet Sancerre Rosé is crafted from Pinot Noir vines averaging 35 years of age, rooted in the stony limestone and Kimmeridgian marl soils of Bué. The estate remains dedicated to hand-harvesting, an increasingly rare practice in the region that ensures only pristine fruit is selected to preserve delicate aromatics. Once at the winery, the grapes undergo gentle direct pressing followed by a 15 to 20-day fermentation using indigenous yeasts in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. To build texture, the wine is aged on its fine lees for six months, with 30% matured in large, neutral, French oak barrels to add roundness. The resulting rosé is bottled in early spring of the following year.

The 2025 Lucien Crochet Sancerre Rosé presents a brilliant, pale pink-salmon hue that shimmers in the glass. The nose is remarkably expressive, offering a delicate bouquet of white peach, wild strawberries, crushed red currants, and a distinctive flinty minerality - with air, citrus zest and honeysuckle becoming more prominent. On the palate, the wine is bone-dry and energetic, showcasing a crisp acidity that perfectly balances its core of ripe summer berries, citrus zest and limestone minerality. The finish is remarkably long and clean, leaving behind a sophisticated trail of orange peel and savory, stony undertones. I’ll be honest - this wine tastes delicious, ice cold out of a mason jar. But, to fully appreciate its nuances , you won’t regret serving chilled to approximately 54°F  in a standard Burgundy glass. And while I’m being honest, I’ll also say that the wine drinkers in the USA have a peculiar and myopic  obsession: We love young and old white, red and sparkling wines - but we tend to only focus on young, previous, year rosé. This needs to stop! Because, the truth is, that much of the tidal wave of 2025 high quality European rosé hitting US shores now and over the next few months will only taste better in 1-3 years from now. High quality, handmade rosé like today’s from Crochet is every bit as complex and carefully constructed as a great wine - it will integrate, soften, and undoubtedly provide more pleasure in the future.