“Sancerre Rocks”

2011 Domaine Daniel Chotard Sancerre

2011 Henri Bourgeois Sancerre Grande Réserve

2011 Pascal Jolivet Sancerre Rosé

2011 Henri Bourgeois Sancerre Rosé Les Baronnes

2011 Paul Prieur et Fils Sancerre Rouge

2009 Henri Bourgeois Sancerre Rouge Les Baronnes

Sancerre – The Region

It is believed the area around Sancerre was first cultivated by the Romans in the 1^st century AD.

Sancerre is a wine region in the eastern part of the Loire valley in France. Most of the grapes planted in the region are Sauvignon Blanc, with Pinot Noir accounting for only about 20%.

White Sancerre was one of the original Appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC) in France, in 1936. The area was designated for red wines in January 1959. Over the years the region has expanded to now be four times larger than the original AOC area. The last expansion occurred in 1998.

The wines coming out of the Sancerre region usually show solid minerality coming for the soil in the region which consists of chalk, marl, gravel, and “flint”.

The terroir of Sancerre is widely regarded as producing one of the greatest expressions of the Sauvignon Blanc grape.

The Sancerre region in the Loire is known for lean, bright, food-friendly wines made from Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir.

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The line up for this tasting event:

2011 Domaine Daniel Chotard Sancerre – $26

The Winery

The winery was founded in 1789 and has an annual production of 8,300 cases of wine. They produce two white wines, one rosé, and two reds from their approximately 15 hectares of vineyards. As a point of reference, a hectare is roughly 2.5 acres.

The Wine

The Sauvignon Blanc grapes used in this wine occupy about 11 hectares of vineyards planted in clay and limestone soil, the vines are 25 years old. The vineyards are sustainably farmed and all grapes are harvested by hand.

The grapes for this wine are immediately de-stemmed and pressed after harvest. Vinification occurs in temperature controlled stainless steel. The wine is aged on the lees and does not go through malolactic fermentation before bottling. The final alcohol level of the wine is 13.0%.

My Tasting Note

The wine is a light golden yellow color. The crisp and clean nose with has minerals, leafy green herbs, apples, citrus zest and white flowers. This dry wine has light to med body and crisp acidity. On the palate, crisp citrus, minerals, tart apples, are interwoven with a nice herbal note. The finish is fairly long with loads of citrus and stony minerality. This is a very nice wine to enjoy over the next couple of years. (90 pts)

2011 Henri Bourgeois Sancerre Grande Réserve – $20.99

The Winery

The winery started half a century ago with just a few hectares of vines in the heart of Chavignol, a village in the Berry region. Alongside his sons Rémi and Jean-Marie, Henri gained a reputation for discovering the marvelous terroirs of the region. The winery now has 72 hectares in 120 parcels in the region.

The Wine

This 100% Sauvignon Blanc is from 20 to 40 year old vines planted in chalky clay soil. The wine was aged on its fine lees for 5 months in stainless steel tanks before bottling. The final alcohol is 13.0%

My Tasting Note

The wine is a light, pale straw color with a yellow tint. The mineral driven nose has chalky minerals, grapefruit zest, lime, flowers, leafy green herbs, with some spice and toast. This dry white has medium body and mouthwatering acidity. On the palate the wine is rich and creamy with tart apples, minerals and lime until the tart grapefruit acidity kicks in leaving your mouth watering for another sip. The long finish loaded with chalky minerals and grapefruit. (88 pts)

2011 Pascal Jolivet Sancerre Rosé – $24.99

The Winery

Pascal Jolivet is one of the youngest and most dynamic estates in the Loire Valley. The estate was started in 1987 and produces classically styled Loire wines. The winery has 70 acres of vineyards and is bolstered by 50% purchased fruit.

The Wine

This 100% Pinot Noir is produced via both direct press and the Saignée method using only native yeast. The vineyards are planted in chalky clay soil. The grapes used in this wine have not been sorted and are not de-stemmed, which adds a nice spice component to the wine. The final alcohol level is 12.5%.

My Tasting Note

The wine is a light orange color with a pinkish tint. The crisp and clean nose has cherries, minerals, orange zest, melon, spice and roses. This has light to medium body, is dry and has nice, stiff acidity. On the palate cherries and stony minerality jumps out first with nice spice and orange zest kicking in on the back end. The wine fills out nicely on the finish which has very good length with orange zest and minerals hanging on for quite a long time. (91 pts)

2011 Henri Bourgeois Sancerre Rosé Les Baronnes – $21.99

The Wine

This wine is produced by “bleeding” tanks of 100% Pinot Noir juice after 48 hours of cold maceration. The wine is fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks and aged for 3 to 4 months on its fine lees. The vineyards for this wine are planted on chalky-clay soil. The final alcohol level is 12.5%.

My Tasting Note

The wine is a light pink salmon color. The bright and fresh nose has strawberries, minerals, spice, cherries, citrus zest, and orange blossoms. This has medium body, is dry, and has good, juicy acidity. This has a bit more body and richness on the palate than most Rosé wines. Nice spicy cherry and strawberry hit the front of the palate with good minerality and citrus kicking in on the back end. The finish has nice length with stony minerality and citrus in control with a touch of red fruit in the background adding good sweetness. (89 pts)

2011 Paul Prieur et Fils Sancerre Rouge – $25.99

The Winery

The Prieur family has been grape growers in the village of Verdigny, Sancerre for 11 generations. The current proprietors and winemakers are Luc Prieur and his father Didier (who himself took over from his father Paul in 1973). The Domaine has five hectares of southern facing Pinot Noir vineyards located at the base of the Mont-Damnes slope on relatively fertile soil.

The Wine

The grapes for this wine were picked at optimal ripeness, sorted, then de-stemmed. The wine macerates for two weeks with occasional pump overs. After fermentation, half the wine is aged in tanks. The remaining half of the wine is aged in barrels, one third each new, one year old, and two years old. After an 11 month aging period the wine is bottled. The final alcohol level is 12.5%.

My Tasting Note

The wine is a light to medium ruby red color. The slightly shy nose has cherries, raspberries, minerals, smoke, some earthiness and a hint of tomato leaf. This has light to medium body, soft to moderate tannins and good acidity. On the palate, tart cherries, raspberries, minerals are on the front end with herbs and earthiness coming in later. The finish has nice length with minerals and herbs complimenting the fruit. This would pair very nicely with a piece of cedar plank grilled salmon. (89 pts)

2009 Henri Bourgeois Sancerre Rouge Les Baronnes – $45.99

The Wine

This 100% Pinot Noir comes from grapes grown in vineyards planted in a chalky-clay soil.

Vinification begins with fermentation in tanks (12 days of maceration) at 26 to 32°C during which time the cap is punched and the must pumped over twice daily in order to extract a maximum of color and tannins from the skin grape. Once the malolactic fermentation is achieved, the wine is matured for 6 to 8 months in Tronçais forest oak barrels, 1/3 new. The final alcohol level is 13.0%.

My Tasting Note

The wine is a medium ruby red color. The open and inviting nose has cherries, leafy herbs, earthiness, spicy oak, tobacco, pencil shavings, and stony minerals. This has medium body with moderate tannins and very good acidity. On the palate, earthy fruit and minerals hit first with building oak notes kicking in on the back end. Nice length on the finish but it turns a bit overly earthy and oaky. (87 pts)

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Notes – I use the “official” Cellar Tracker name for the wines. I use Cellar Tracker to help manage and organize my cellar. I highly recommend checking it out at www.cellartracker.com. Loading you existing cellar is a lot less intimidating than it would first appear. There is a good chance 99% of your wine is already in the system, so you generally only need to enter part of the wine’s name and the system will find it for you.

Prices noted are the prices I paid at the time of purchase. I don’t shop around to find the best prices, but my local store is usually VERY competitive. I generally get case discounts, and since I work there part time, I get a 5% discount. Wines purchased direct from a winery do not include any shipping charges. None of the prices include the sales tax.

All wines that were sent to me free of charge to sample will be noted and I will show suggested prices when available.