BKWine Pick: Pascal Jolivet, Sancerre

Pascal Jolivet, Sancerre

The Domaine Pascal Jolivet winery is just on the edge of the Sancerre village, at the bottom of the hill. He wines are full of character and quite full-bodied compared to many sancerres. They prove that sauvignon blanc can also make complex terroir wines. The secret, according to the winemaker Jean-Luc Soty, is to do very little débourbage (sedimentation of the must before fermentation). That gives the wine more power and complexity. He also thinks that it is important only to use the natural yeast (that is on the grapes). The sancerres from Pascal Jolivet all have finesse and minerality, good concentration and acidity. Sancerre Les Cailottes Blanc has a lot of terroir character with an underlying elegant and aromatic layer from the sauvignon grape. The Grand Cuvée Pouilly Fumé has grown on soil that is very rich in limestone. It is aged on the lees for nine months and has a touch of mushroom on the nose, lower acidity, more depth and a wonderful, long and intense flavour. They also make some of the best reds in the appellation.

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