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2020 Sancerre

Daniel Chotard
Discount Eligible $36.00
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Daniel Chotard and his wife, Brigitte, live just outside Sancerre in the village of Reigny. The Chotard family has been making wine for well over two hundred years, though Daniel was initially reluctant to accept the family vocation and started as a teacher. Daniel is a bit of a Renaissance man. His enthusiasm and passion for learning extends beyond wine and into music; he is a gifted guitarist and accordion player. He organizes lively music and wine soirées that showcase wine as an equally compelling art form to jazz. He has also invited Kermit to bring his rootsy band to perform in Sancerre—stay tuned for concert dates!
    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. Simon’s quest for a more authentic expression of terroir has led him to isolate certain parcels on the basis of soil, experimenting with different aging vessels in the cellar (demi-muids, acacia, foudres...) to find the best match. Like his father’s music, Simon’s Sancerre is luscious and complex with deep notes and a long, harmonious finale.


Technical Information
Wine Type: white
Vintage: 2020
Bottle Size: 750mL
Blend: Sauvignon Blanc
Appellation: Sancerre
Country: France
Region: Loire
Producer: Daniel Chotard
Winemaker: Simon Chotard
Vineyard: 10.51 ha, 5-65 years
Soil: Clay, Limestone, Kimmeridgian marl
Farming: Lutte Raisonnée
Alcohol: 14%

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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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Old cob-webbed wine bottles

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.