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Sancerre 3-Pack
Domaine Daniel Chotard
When you open a bottle of Sancerre, you know what to expect: a cornucopia of fragrant citrus and gooseberry, delicate floral nuances, a flinty mineral note, and a bracing finish that leaves you salivating for more. Nowadays, these wines are by and large crafted in the same manner, with fermentation and aging taking place in stainless steel tanks. But this was not always the norm in Sancerre. According to Kermit, when he began visiting the picturesque Loire village in the 1970s, “Stainless was already pretty rampant. But there was a lot of wood, too, of all sizes. Then the wood was phased out in almost all the cellars…”
The zippy, clean, ultra-precise Sancerres we are accustomed to are in fact a relatively recent phenomenon, corresponding to the arrival of temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks in the cellars. But what did Sancerres taste like before?
At Domaine Chotard, the ambitious Simon Chotard has taken over proceedings after his father Daniel’s retirement. In addition to an entry-level Sancerre that captures the totality of Sauvignon Blanc’s thirst-quenching, mouth-watering properties, Simon is producing smaller batches that recall the olden days of this great appellation:
Les Cris is a single-vineyard Sauvignon Blanc that is fermented and aged in acacia barrels. Acacia does not impart the woody flavors that oak is known for, so fruit shines through with brilliant purity while the wine acquires more breadth relative to one aged in tank. With a deep aroma of key lime, zingy acidity, and an almost salty, chalky finish, this multi-dimensional beauty takes the Sancerre we know to a whole new level.
Les Racines is an old-vine cuvée vinified and raised in 300-500 liter oak barrels. The most Burgundian of Simon’s wines, it combines the racy acidity and taut mineral structure imparted by the Kimmeridgian limestone terroir with a subtle kiss of oak and a fine wood grain on the finale. Its inherent power, tension, and richness will allow it to age superbly, reaching its peak in five to eight more years.
The Sancerre rouge is another blast from the past, as the region was long renowned for its red wines until plantings of Sauvignon Blanc overtook Pinot Noir after phylloxera. A bistro wine par excellence, this Pinot Noir emanates a lovely aroma of bright fruit and peppery spice. Its well-defined structure and gentle tannins frame the fresh and elegant flavors.
While Simon may be relatively new on the scene, his small-production Sancerres show a real sensibility to the region’s traditional wines. Tasting this compelling trio of 2016s will take you on a journey several decades back to the old days of Sancerre, when times and wines were much different than today.
—Anthony Lynch
This item is not eligible for discounts |
Wine Type: | sampler |
Appellation: | Sancerre |
Country: | France |
Normally $112.00 SPECIAL SAMPLER PRICE $95.00 (a 15% discount) |
2016 Sancerre “Les Cris” $39.00
2016 Sancerre “Racines” $45.00
2016 Sancerre Rouge $28.00
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.
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.
2022 Sancerre
France | Loire
An intense exotic nose lures you in before the minerality channels the lightning energy of this pure Sauvignon Blanc.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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2022 Sancerre
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2022 Val de Loire Rouge Grolleau
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2020 Saumur-Champigny “Les Mémoires”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2021 Sancerre “Les Coutones”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2019 Bourgueil “Clos Sénéchal”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Cheverny Rosé
Domaine du Salvard France | Loire
2016 Chinon “Les Petites Roches” MAGNUM
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2018 Vin de France Rouge Grolleau/Cabernet Franc
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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