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2021 Sancerre “Les Cris”
Daniel ChotardFloral and inviting, this bottle is a real charmer. Simon Chotard’s wife, Juliette, says it makes her nostalgic for childhood, when in springtime the inebriating scent of white blossoms on the schoolyard trees mingled with the smell of fresh chalk on the blackboard. Try it with a seasonal salad of cannellini and garbanzo beans tossed with crunchy green peas and olive oil lime zest vinaigrette, all topped with freshly chopped parsley and mint. Delicious!
—Emily Spillmann
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2021 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Sauvignon Blanc |
Appellation: | Sancerre |
Country: | France |
Region: | Loire |
Producer: | Daniel Chotard |
Winemaker: | Simon Chotard |
Vineyard: | 30 years average, .9 ha |
Soil: | Clay, Limestone, Kimmeridgian marl |
Aging: | After 8 months, wine is transferred to tank for 3 to 5 months and then 3 to 5 months in bottle. Total aging is 14 to 18 months.. |
Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
Alcohol: | 13% |
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2020 Sancerre “Hameau de Reigny”
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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.
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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.
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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 Rouge
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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.
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Vouvray Brut
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2020 Chinon “Le Clos Guillot”
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2022 Chinon Blanc
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2022 Chinon Rosé
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2023 Reuilly “Les Pierres Plates”
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2022 Quincy “Château de Quincy”
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2022 Bourgueil “Trinch!”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2020 Saumur-Champigny “Franc de Pied”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2020 Bourgueil “Nuits d’Ivresse”
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2022 Val de Loire Rouge Grolleau
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2016 Chinon “Les Petites Roches” MAGNUM
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Kermit once said...
Kermit once said...
Let the brett nerds retire into protective bubbles, and whenever they thirst for wine it can be passed in to them through a sterile filter. Those of us on the outside can continue to enjoy complex, natural, living wines.
Inspiring Thirst, page 236