Notify me
2020 Sancerre “Les Cris”
Daniel ChotardFloral and inviting, this bottle is a real charmer. Simon Chotard’s wife, Juliette, says it makes her nostalgic for childhood, when in springtime the inebriating scent of white blossoms on the schoolyard trees mingled with the smell of fresh chalk on the blackboard. Try it with a seasonal salad of cannellini and garbanzo beans tossed with crunchy green peas and olive oil lime zest vinaigrette, all topped with freshly chopped parsley and mint. Delicious!
—Emily Spillmann
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2020 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Sauvignon Blanc |
Appellation: | Sancerre |
Country: | France |
Region: | Loire |
Producer: | Daniel Chotard |
Winemaker: | Simon Chotard |
Vineyard: | 30 years average, .9 ha |
Soil: | Clay, Limestone, Kimmeridgian marl |
Aging: | After 8 months, wine is transferred to tank for 3 to 5 months and then 3 to 5 months in bottle. Total aging is 14 to 18 months.. |
Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
Alcohol: | 13.5% |
More from this Producer or Region
2019 Sancerre Rouge “Champs d’Alligny”
France | Loire
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.
2021 Sancerre “Cuvée Marcel Henri”
France | Loire
Welcome to depth, complexity, understatement, finesse.
2021 Sancerre Rouge
France | Loire
Chotard has crafted a delicious, complex, and elegant rouge that gives many village Burgundies a run for their money.
2022 Sancerre
France | Loire
An intense exotic nose lures you in before the minerality channels the lightning energy of this pure Sauvignon Blanc.
2020 Sancerre “Hameau de Reigny”
France | Loire
Simon refers to Hameau de Reigny as a “nature” wine. The result is textured and tropical-fruited, yet not so much a departure from the region’s typicity, as rather, a riff on it.
2021 Sancerre “Les Coutones”
France | Loire
A fleshy, full-bodied Sancerre with great freshness and the ability to age in bottle for a few years after release.
2020 Sancerre Champs d’Alligny
France | Loire
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.
2020 Sancerre Rouge “Le Chant de l’Archet”
France | Loire
The Chotards are some of the lucky few who have Sancerre parcels that are ideal for growing Pinot Noir, and theirs have been planted to Pinot for well over fifty years, so the vines are at full maturity.
2021 Sancerre “Les Cris”
France | Loire
Simply gorgeous, the Cris is sublimely perfumed, generous on the palate, and long and saline on the elegant finish.
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
2020 Chinon “Cuvée Terroir”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2022 Chinon Rosé
Charles Joguet France | Loire
Vouvray Brut “La Dilettante”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Reuilly Pinot Noir
Domaine de Reuilly France | Loire
2022 Val de Loire Rouge Grolleau
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2020 Sancerre “Hameau de Reigny”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2021 Bourgueil “Franc de Pied”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2020 Saumur Blanc “Terres”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2022 Quincy “Vieilles Vignes”
Domaine Trotereau France | Loire
2022 Sancerre
Domaine Hippolyte Reverdy France | Loire
2020 Saumur Blanc “L’Échelier”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2020 Vin de France Rouge Cabernet Franc “Huguette”
Grange Saint Sauveur France | Loire
2020 Chinon “Cuvée Terroir”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2022 Chinon Rosé
Charles Joguet France | Loire
Vouvray Brut “La Dilettante”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Reuilly Pinot Noir
Domaine de Reuilly France | Loire
2022 Val de Loire Rouge Grolleau
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2020 Sancerre “Hameau de Reigny”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2021 Bourgueil “Franc de Pied”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2020 Saumur Blanc “Terres”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2022 Quincy “Vieilles Vignes”
Domaine Trotereau France | Loire
2022 Sancerre
Domaine Hippolyte Reverdy France | Loire
2020 Saumur Blanc “L’Échelier”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2020 Vin de France Rouge Cabernet Franc “Huguette”
Grange Saint Sauveur France | Loire
Kermit once said...
Kermit once said...
Great winemakers, great terroirs, there is never any hurry. And I no longer buy into this idea of “peak” maturity. Great winemakers, great terroirs, their wines offer different pleasures at different ages.
Inspiring Thirst, page 312