Why it matters
The producer
Pauline's name comes first. Eric Louis's great-grandmother founded the estate, and her name remains in Les Celliers de la Pauline, the name carried by the family winery today. Eric Louis represents the fourth generation of winemakers working from this Central Loire base.
The estate's main white grape is Sauvignon Blanc, and its main red grape is Pinot Noir. Sancerre is the central appellation, with Sancerre Blanc, Sancerre Rouge, and the named Cul de Loup Sancerre cuvée giving the range its clearest shape. The label relationship is simple: Sancerre names the place, Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Noir names the grape, and Cul de Loup identifies a particular Sancerre bottling.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Eric Louis works across several Central Loire appellations. Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé, Menetou-Salon, Quincy, Reuilly, and Châteaumeillant are separate names on the range, so they represent different origins and bottle categories, even when the same two grapes appear across them. Sauvignon Blanc carries the white wines, while Pinot Noir carries the reds.
Sancerre gives the estate its strongest reference point because both grape varieties appear there. The white wines place Sauvignon Blanc alongside citrus, tropical fruit, and mineral notes. The red wine places Pinot Noir in a fuller, fruit-filled style with a firm palate shape. The appellation and grape work together on the label, then return as different textures and flavours in the glass.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
The vineyard programme is physical and repeated. Tillage, hoeing, and ploughing cultivate the soil between the vines; disbudding removes selected shoots; green harvesting reduces the crop before picking. The estate also schedules pruning, ploughing, and picking by lunar cycles using the Maria Thun calendar, giving the agricultural year a defined working rhythm.
Cellar choices change the shape of individual wines. The 2021 Sauvignon Blanc was made in stainless steel and spent four months on its lees, supporting its pure, zesty fruit and very fresh palate. Sancerre Rouge takes a different route: nine months of ageing, with half the wine in stainless steel tanks and half in oak barrels. The split keeps fruit at the centre while adding a broader frame to the Pinot Noir.
Wines to know
The range in view
Sancerre Blanc is the central white wine, a Sauvignon Blanc with a pale golden colour, upfront citrus, tropical fruit, and mineral aromas. The 2021 Sauvignon Blanc offers a more vivid aromatic register, with passion fruit, kiwi, lime, pear, green herb, and chalky mineral, followed by a very fresh palate.
Cul de Loup Sancerre is a named Sauvignon Blanc cuvée within the Sancerre range. Its lime, lemongrass, and Granny Smith apple notes give it a sharper green-fruit profile, while its lively palate, chalky finish, and length add more detail than a simple fruit-led white.
A useful way in
A bottle to begin with
Cul de Loup Sancerre is the first bottle to open. It is a named Sancerre cuvée made from Sauvignon Blanc, so the place, grape, and range position are all visible before the wine is poured. In the glass, lime, lemongrass, and Granny Smith apple sit over the citrus freshness of Sauvignon Blanc. The palate is lively and pure, with intense flavour, a chalky finish, and good length. It brings together the estate's flint-associated mineral character and its preference for bright, direct white wine in one bottle with enough detail to hold attention from aroma through finish.