Sancerre

At the eastern end of the Loire, Sancerre sits on the hills above the Loire river on three distinct soils — flinty silex, clay-limestone caillottes and marly terres blanches — each shaping Sauvignon Blanc into a slightly different profile. The wines are crisp, flinty, citrussy and mineral, defining what "classic" Sauvignon Blanc tastes like for much of the world. Pinot Noir, grown on the same hills, produces light, fragrant reds that are rare but increasingly serious. Sancerre's neighbour across the river, Pouilly-Fumé, makes a closely related, more smoky-mineral Sauvignon.