Pascal Jolivet Sancerre 2008
Sauvignon Blanc from Sancerre, Loire, France
The wine comes from three vineyards: "Les Caillottes", a very chalky soil, situated at Bué en Sancerre, representing 50 % of the blend; "Les Terres Blanches", the highest hill to the west, with a basis soil of argilo-calcaires, representing 30% of the blend; and "Silex", to the east, where the soil is much stoner and rich in silex, representing 20% of the blend.
Pale, whitish straw in color. The nose is very fresh, very clean with notes of lime peel, green herbs, black currant; typical, not aggressive. On the palate it is fresh and tightly wound; acidity is tempered by very subtle residual sugar; very clean; alive, racy, youthful. Overall, a dry and elegant wine, well balanced. The different origin of soils express fully their differences and their similarities. Slow evolution, very typical Sancerre.
Classic flavors of pear, guava and lime are enlivened by brisk acidity and a pungent flintiness, demonstrating a delicate harmony of components and a fine, silky texture.
The house of Pascal Jolivet is one of the youngest and most dynamic in the Loire Valley. Founded in 1985, this specialist in the wines of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume has very quickly gained a leading position with the Michelin-starred restaurants of France. Pascal owns an estate of more than 40 acres evenly divided between two appellations.
He believes strongly in letting nature make the wine as much as possible, and seeks to tame the more aggressive qualities of the Sauvignon Blanc variety. His wines show the benefits of stainless steel vatting with naturally occurring yeasts. They are fermented cool rather than cold and are left of their lees for four to six months, gaining subtle but complex aromas as a result.
The Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume both originate from the Jolivet estate. The Sancerre is a composite of the three soil types in the district: calcareous clay, limestone, and flint. It is more flowery and subtle than many of its type. Pouilly-Fume, from the opposite bank of the Loire, comes from a large diversity of glacial soils and is normally more austere and minerally.
Sancerre Wine
Loire, France
Marked by its charming hilltop village in the easternmost territory of the Loire, Sancerre is famous for its racy, vivacious, citrus-dominant Sauvignon blanc. Its enormous popularity in 1970s French bistros led to its success as the go-to restaurant white around the globe in the 1980s.
While the region claims a continental climate, noted for short, hot summers and long, cold winters, variations in topography—rolling hills and steep slopes from about 600 to 1,300 feet in elevation—with great soil variations, contribute the variations in character in Sancerre Sauvignon blancs.
In the western part of the appellation, clay and limestone soils with Kimmeridgean marne, especially in Chavignol, produce powerful wines. Moving closer to the actual town of Sancerre, soils are gravel and limestone, producing especially delicate wines. Flint (silex) soils close to the village produce particularly perfumed and age-worthy wines.
About ten percent of the wines claiming the Sancerre appellation name are fresh and light red wines made from Pinot noir and to a lesser extent, rosés. While not typically exported in large amounts, they are well-made and attract a loyal French following.
Learn about Sauvignon Blanc
BEE160176_2008 Item# 100047