Anthony Girard remains one of my favorite "characters" in Sancerre. Deciding to strike out on his own, he left the family winery and created his own project in the southern part of the appellation. The Clef du Recit refers to the "keys to the castle" which already seems interesting as there is no castle to speak of but maybe it refers more like his creative mind castle. Which brings me back to that being a "character" part... some of my most memorable visits to his winery were less about tasting wine but instead engaging in some off-the-wall activity that Anthony wanted to do in while I was visiting. My first visit, was nearly ten years ago and it set the stage. Half the fun of visiting Anthony now, is you never know quite what is going to happen. On my first visit we just hung around his winery eating goat cheese from his brother's goat farm and playing a variation of petanque that he created with some left over tools in his garage. It's hard to top that kind of experience because you really get to know the person behind the wines. Perhaps my favorite visit was right after Covid where we took a "side quest" and spent an hour hunting for newly bloomed daisies in a nearby forest for his daughter's school project (his request). That trip we also visited his brother's goat farm to see the pregnant goats that would soon be producing the milk that makes the wonderful chevre of the region (my request). Though his mind may seem eclectic, Anthony's wines are always spot-on. This new 2023 is a tense Sancerre, full of chalky minerality and has that string of grapefruit driven acidity that keeps this wine focused. Anthony's wines continue to be some of our best and brightest from the region and I look forward to taking many more of those "side quests" with him down the road. Exploring Anthony's mind is almost as much fun as the wines he produces.