Sancerre is a small town situated above the Loire River about 20 minutes from the lake. Best known for the quality white wines produced in the surrounding vineyards, Sancerre village itself stands on a low hill from where you can look out over miles of the surrounding vineyards.

The village originally developed around a medieval castle, at one time among the most important chateaux in the region, but largely destroyed early in the 17th century. At the top of the hill above the village, you can still see the castle keep, known as the Tour des Fiefs,

If you remember that this is just one of the original six castle towers you get an idea of how much the castle must originally have dominated the region. During the Hundred Years War the castle was strategically important because it stood on the border between France and Burgundy, Burgundy at that time being aligned with the English rather than the French.