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2023 Sancerre
Daniel Chotard

Daniel Chotard

Simon Chotard
Longtime readers of our newsletter will surely know of the accordion-playing, jazz-loving master of Sancerre, Daniel Chotard. Every year, he would send us a lively and delicious Sancerre blanc, a fruity rosé, and a light and earthy rouge, all embodying the “bistro” style of the day—a style tailor-made for Daniel’s upbeat musicality, which was guaranteed to have the room singing and dancing in no time.
In recent years, Daniel has passed the reins on to his son Simon, who has taken the domaine to new heights through extensive terroir studies and increasingly progressive farming and winemaking in the village Crézancy-en-Sancerre, where flint meets clay and the famous Kimmeridgian limestone. Simon practices organic farming, and he harvests his grapes later than his neighbors, resulting in full-bodied wines with a rich complexity. He ferments every wine naturally—a rare feat in an appellation where technical winemaking is still the norm. While Simon’s quest for a more authentic expression of terroir has led him to isolate certain parcels and vinify them in distinctive single-vineyard cuvées, his blended Sancerre blanc is a triumph in its own right. Electric, mineral, and sneakily complex, it delivers one of the best bottles the appellation has to offer.
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2023 |
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: | 13% |
More from this Producer or Region

2023 Chinon “Beaux Monts”
France | Loire
Sourced from the village of Beaumont, it is utterly delicious, with a perfect balance of fruit and earth.

2020 Vin de France Rosé Grolleau/Cabernet Franc “Les Arceaux”
France | Loire
Intensely dry and mineral, the structured Les Arceaux is a bottle to pair with a meal rather than to drink as an apéritif.

2023 Vin de France Brut Nature “Elle est pas bulle, la vie?”
France | Loire
Delicious and honest naturally sparkling Chenin, bottled with no dosage and no sulfur.

2022 Vin de France Rouge “Le Martray”
France | Loire
The new vintage shows great freshness and brightness, making me think of tart berries picked in the forest just a touch below full ripeness.

2020 Vin de France Rouge Grolleau/Cabernet Franc “Clandestine”
France | Loire
A lovely combination of Grolleau Noir and Cabernet Franc, there seems to be a synergistic effect elevating both grapes to create a juicy, spicy, refreshing whole.

2022 Chinon “Les Petites Roches”
France | Loire
Showing off Cabernet in its most delicate, charming form, rife with aromas of roses, damp earth, and little red berries.

2022 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 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.

2022 Chinon “Le Domaine”
France | Loire
It is fresh and buoyant enough for casual fare yet has the stuffing to accompany heartier dishes, while its vivid raspberry fruit makes it extremely approachable today, notwithstanding its medium-term aging potential.

2023 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 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
2022 Bourgueil “Franc de Pied”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
Touraine “Fines Bulles”
Domaine de la Chanteleuserie France | Loire
2021 Vin de France Rosé Grolleau/Cabernet Franc “Les Arceaux”
Grange Saint-Sauveur France | Loire
2022 Vouvray “Le Portail”
Champalou France | Loire
2021 Bourgueil “La Dilettante”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Quincy “Vieilles Vignes”
Domaine Trotereau France | Loire
2020 Chinon “Clos de la Dioterie”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2021 Saumur Champigny “La Marginale”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2023 Chinon “Les Petites Roches” Blanc
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2023 Vin de France Brut Nature “Elle est pas bulle, la vie?”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2020 Sancerre Rouge "Champs d’Alligny"
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2021 Chinon “La Croix Boissée”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2022 Bourgueil “Franc de Pied”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
Touraine “Fines Bulles”
Domaine de la Chanteleuserie France | Loire
2021 Vin de France Rosé Grolleau/Cabernet Franc “Les Arceaux”
Grange Saint-Sauveur France | Loire
2022 Vouvray “Le Portail”
Champalou France | Loire
2021 Bourgueil “La Dilettante”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Quincy “Vieilles Vignes”
Domaine Trotereau France | Loire
2020 Chinon “Clos de la Dioterie”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2021 Saumur Champigny “La Marginale”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2023 Chinon “Les Petites Roches” Blanc
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2023 Vin de France Brut Nature “Elle est pas bulle, la vie?”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2020 Sancerre Rouge "Champs d’Alligny"
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2021 Chinon “La Croix Boissée”
Bernard Baudry 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
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