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2021 Sancerre “Cuvée Marcel Henri”
Daniel Chotard

Aubert 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: | 2021 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Sauvignon Blanc |
Appellation: | Sancerre |
Country: | France |
Region: | Loire |
Producer: | Daniel Chotard |
Winemaker: | Simon Chotard |
Vineyard: | 25 years average, 1 ha |
Soil: | Clay, Limestone, Kimmeridgian marl |
Aging: | Wine ages in foudre for 1 year, after 1 year the wine is racked in stainless tank and ages for an additional 6 months before bottling |
Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
Alcohol: | 12.5% |
More from this Producer or Region

2021 Sancerre “Les Coutones”
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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.

2022 Sancerre
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An intense exotic nose lures you in before the minerality channels the lightning energy of this pure Sauvignon Blanc.

2020 Saumur Mousseux “Bulles de Roche”
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This sparkling wine has decadently rich, honeyed fruit and a nice dollop of buttery brioche.

2020 Sancerre Rouge “Le Chant de l’Archet”
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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.

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.

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
France | Loire
Chotard has crafted a delicious, complex, and elegant rouge that gives many village Burgundies a run for their money.

2021 Sancerre Rouge
France | Loire
Chotard has crafted a delicious, complex, and elegant rouge that gives many village Burgundies a run for their money.
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
2022 Jasnières “Cuvée Sainte Narcisse”
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2017 Chinon Blanc “Clos de la Plante Martin”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2021 Chinon “Beaux Monts”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Coteaux du Loir Blanc
Pascal Janvier France | Loire
2020 Chinon “Cuvée Terroir”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2022 Reuilly Pinot Gris Rosé
Domaine de Reuilly France | Loire
2019 Chinon “Clos de la Dioterie”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2020 Saumur Mousseux “Bulles de Roche”
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2022 Vouvray
Champalou France | Loire
2022 Anjou Rouge “Clos de la Cerisaie”
Château d'Epiré France | Loire
2018 Vouvray “La Moelleuse”
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Vouvray Brut
Champalou France | Loire
2022 Jasnières “Cuvée Sainte Narcisse”
Pascal Janvier France | Loire
2017 Chinon Blanc “Clos de la Plante Martin”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2021 Chinon “Beaux Monts”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Coteaux du Loir Blanc
Pascal Janvier France | Loire
2020 Chinon “Cuvée Terroir”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2022 Reuilly Pinot Gris Rosé
Domaine de Reuilly France | Loire
2019 Chinon “Clos de la Dioterie”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2020 Saumur Mousseux “Bulles de Roche”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2022 Vouvray
Champalou France | Loire
2022 Anjou Rouge “Clos de la Cerisaie”
Château d'Epiré France | Loire
2018 Vouvray “La Moelleuse”
Champalou France | Loire
Vouvray Brut
Champalou France | Loire
Kermit once said...

Kermit once said...
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