Domaine Vincent Delaporte, Sancerre Rouge (Loire Valley, France) 2012

Few consumers in the USA are aware that such a thing as Sancerre Rouge even exists, and historically speaking, that wasn’t much to their detriment, and most of it was thin, under-ripe, angular, and simply difficult to like on any ground other than novelty appeal.  The category is made entirely from Pinot Noir, by law, and in recent years a few producers such as Delaporte have been turning out excellent renditions.  One suspects that climate change is what’s producing this effect, but hey, if we’re going to encounter environmental perils anyway, at least we can console ourselves with some excellent wine.  This is fully ripe but still light by global standards, though not lighter than would be normal for a Burgundy from a northerly village like Fixin.  The fruit is fresh and lively but also quite respectably deep in flavor, with pure notes of dark cherries predominating.  Oak is notable but still restrained, and both the quality of the fruit and the winemaking are exemplary.  Absolutely delicious, this is now a wine to buy solely on its merits, regardless of novelty value.