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2015 Sancerre Blanc “Cuvée Marcel Henri”
Daniel ChotardAubert de Villaine told me that he prefers “understated” wines. An understated Sancerre is not easy to find—you’ll encounter more rambunctiousness than finesse, usually. Here, however, is a cuvée spéciale that is not an oaky giant. The vines are fifty to sixty years old, and the wine is aged on its lees eighteen months before bottling. Welcome to depth, complexity, understatement, finesse.
—Kermit Lynch
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2015 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Sauvignon Blanc |
Appellation: | Sancerre |
Country: | France |
Region: | Loire |
Producer: | Daniel Chotard |
Winemaker: | Daniel Chotard |
Vineyard: | 25 years average, 10.89 ha |
Soil: | Clay, Limestone, Kimmeridgian marl |
Aging: | Aged on the lees for 18 months before bottling |
Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
Alcohol: | 14% |
More from this Producer or Region
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2020 Sancerre “Hameau de Reigny”
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Previously blended into the domaine’s Sancerre rouge, the Champs d’Alligny is now its own bottling, a successful experiment if there ever was one.
2022 Sancerre
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2021 Sancerre “Cuvée Marcel Henri”
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Welcome to depth, complexity, understatement, finesse.
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About The Producer
Daniel Chotard
About The Region
Loire
The defining feature of the Loire Valley, not surprisingly, is the Loire River. As the longest river in France, spanning more than 600 miles, this river connects seemingly disparate wine regions. Why else would Sancerre, with its Kimmeridgian limestone terroir be connected to Muscadet, an appellation that is 250 miles away?
Secondary in relevance to the historical, climatic, environmental, and cultural importance of the river are the wines and châteaux of the Jardin de la France. The kings and nobility of France built many hundreds of châteaux in the Loire but wine preceded the arrival of the noblesse and has since out-lived them as well.
Diversity abounds in the Loire. The aforementioned Kimmderidgian limestone of Sancerre is also found in Chablis. Chinon, Bourgueil, and Saumur boast the presence of tuffeau, a type of limestone unique to the Loire that has a yellowish tinge and a chalky texture. Savennières has schist, while Muscadet has volcanic, granite, and serpentinite based soils. In addition to geologic diversity, many, grape varieties are grown there too: Cabernet Franc, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Melon de Bourgogne are most prevalent, but (to name a few) Pinot Gris, Grolleau, Pinot Noir, Pineau d’Aunis, and Folle Blanche are also planted. These myriad of viticultural influences leads to the high quality production of every type of wine: red, white, rosé, sparkling, and dessert.
Like the Rhône and Provence, some of Kermit’s first imports came from the Loire, most notably the wines of Charles Joguet and Château d’Epiré—two producers who are featured in Kermit’s book Adventures on the Wine Route and with whom we still work today.
More from Loire or France
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2021 Sancerre “Cuvée Marcel Henri”
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2018 Saumur Blanc “L’Échelier”
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Loire Valley Farmers’ Market
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Sampler Includes:
Vouvray Brut • Champalou $31
2022 Chardonnay • Eric Chevalier $23
2022 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie • Domaine Michel Brégeon $23
2022 Pouilly-Fumé “Vieilles Vignes” • Régis Minet $34
2022 Cheverny Rosé • Domaine du Salvard $21
2022 Chinon Rosé • Bernard Baudry $27
2022 Reuilly Pinot Noir • Domaine de Reuilly $26
2022 Coteaux du Loir Rouge “Cuvée du Rosier” • Pascal Janvier $26
2021 Chinon “Cuvée Terroir” • Charles Joguet $31
2022 Bourgueil Clairet “Avis de Vin Fort” • Catherine & Pierre Breton $31
2022 Saumur Champigny “Cuvée Domaine” • Thierry Germain $34
2022 Vin de France Rouge “Le Martray” • Grange Saint Sauveur $49
Normally $356.00
SPECIAL SAMPLER PRICE $267.00
(a 25% discount)
2018 Vouvray “La Moelleuse”
Champalou France | Loire
2021 Saumur Champigny “Terres Chaudes”
Domaine des Roches Neuves France | Loire
2020 Saumur Blanc “L’Échelier”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2020 Saumur Champigny “La Marginale”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2022 Quincy “Vieilles Vignes”
Domaine Trotereau France | Loire
2021 Bourgueil “Cuvée Alouettes”
Domaine de la Chanteleuserie France | Loire
2021 Chinon “Cuvée Terroir”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2021 Sancerre “Cuvée Marcel Henri”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2018 Saumur Blanc “L’Échelier”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
Touraine “Fines Bulles”
Domaine de la Chanteleuserie France | Loire
2019 Sancerre Rouge “Champs d’Alligny”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
Loire Valley Farmers’ Market
This delectable 12-pack puts the Loire’s abundant viticultural diversity on full display: sparkling Chenin Blanc, plus crisp and mineral Melon de Bourgogne, and more.
2018 Vouvray “La Moelleuse”
Champalou France | Loire
2021 Saumur Champigny “Terres Chaudes”
Domaine des Roches Neuves France | Loire
2020 Saumur Blanc “L’Échelier”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2020 Saumur Champigny “La Marginale”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
Where the newsletter started
Where the newsletter started
Every three or four months I would send my clients a cheaply made list of my inventory, but it began to dawn on me that business did not pick up afterwards. It occurred to me that my clientele might not know what Château Grillet is, either. One month in 1974 I had an especially esoteric collection of wines arriving, so I decided to put a short explanation about each wine into my price list, to try and let my clients know what to expect when they uncorked a bottle. The day after I mailed that brochure, people showed up at the shop, and that is how these little propaganda pieces for fine wine were born.—Kermit Lynch