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2020 Sancerre “Les Coutones”
Daniel Chotard
Grandiose, lavish Sauvignon Blanc from a small monopole holding that faces the rising sun, with a clay soil so dense and sticky the old-timers called it terre amoureuse (loving earth), for the way it clings to one’s boots. If the classic Sancerre above is a great blast from the past, the Coutones here is a glimpse of a great future.
—Chris Santini
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2020 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Sauvignon Blanc |
Appellation: | Sancerre |
Country: | France |
Region: | Loire |
Producer: | Daniel Chotard |
Winemaker: | Simon Chotard |
Vineyard: | Planted in 1994 (1 ha), 2006 (.61 ha) |
Soil: | Clay, Limestone, Kimmeridgian Marl |
Aging: | After 1 year, wine is racked and aged 6 months in stainless steel before bottling |
Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
Alcohol: | 14.5% |
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A fleshy, full-bodied Sancerre with great freshness and the ability to age in bottle for a few years after release.

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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 Kimmeridgian 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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2022 Chinon “Cuvée Terroir”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2024 Sancerre Rosé
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2022 Sancerre Rouge
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2023 Sancerre
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2020 Saumur Champigny “Outre Terre”
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2022 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine “Réserve”
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2022 Chinon Blanc
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2021 Bourgueil “La Dilettante”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2017 Jasnières “Chant de Vigne”
Christine de Mianville France | Loire
2023 Saumur Mousseux “Bulles de Roche”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2022 Chinon “Cuvée Terroir”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2024 Sancerre Rosé
Domaine Roger Neveu France | Loire
2022 Sancerre Rouge
Domaine Hippolyte Reverdy France | Loire
2019 Bourgueil “Les Perrières”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2023 Sancerre
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2020 Saumur Champigny “Outre Terre”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2022 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine “Réserve”
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
2024 Reuilly “Les Pierres Plates”
Domaine de Reuilly France | Loire
2022 Chinon Blanc
Bernard Baudry 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