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Sancerre with Soul

Sancerre with Soul

by Kermit Lynch by Kermit Lynch

From the Archives: September 2011 Newsletter From the Archives: September 2011 Newsletter

2019 Sancerre

2019 Sancerre

Daniel Chotard   

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“Daniel Chotard is a party kind of guy, but not little get-togethers. No, he arranges soirées with wine, food, and live music. He’s a winemaker who plays jazz, too. He pulled a good one on me, drove me out into the countryside far from Sancerre to a tiny Moroccan restaurant. We were talking and downing Sancerre when some music entered my consciousness, something strangely familiar. My god, I said, that’s my CD! Yes, he had slipped a copy of Quicksand Blues to the waitress, who discreetly put it on the sound system. It was a treat to hear my own songs out of context!” — Kermit Lynch, January 2008 Newsletter

In recent years, Daniel has passed the reins of the domaine on to his son Simon. Simon practices sustainable farming, and uses organic composts to treat the vines. Typically, he harvests his grapes later than his neighbors, resulting in full-bodied wines with a rich complexity. He has also transitioned away from using cultured yeasts, fermenting every wine naturally—a rare feat in an appellation where technical winemaking is still the norm.
     Like his father’s music, Simon’s Sancerre is luscious and complex with deep notes and a long, harmonious finale. The 2019 has an intense exotic nose that lures you in before the minerality channels the lightning energy of this pure Sauvignon Blanc, jostling you wide awake.

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About The Region

Loire

map of 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.

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Inspiring Thirst

I want you to realize once and for all: Even the winemaker does not know what aging is going to do to a new vintage; Robert Parker does not know; I do not know. We all make educated (hopefully) guesses about what the future will bring, but guesses they are. And one of the pleasures of a wine cellar is the opportunity it provides for you to witness the evolution of your various selections. Living wines have ups and downs just as people do, periods of glory and dog days, too. If wine did not remind me of real life, I would not care about it so much.

Inspiring Thirst, page 171