Blog

Pascal Jolivet & Sancerre the Way Nature Intended (#Winophiles)

 

---

To celebrate Earth Month, Gwendolyn the Wine Predator challenged the #Winophiles group to find a wine that celebrates “Loire’s organic gardens.” You can view her invitation here. Something like a quarter of Loire Valley vineyards are farmed organically. Considering the size of the valley, the number of wineries, and the vast array of grapes and wine styles there, that’s pretty darn impressive!

I have generally have trouble sourcing decent European wines in Turkey. I figured I could find a Sancerre though as Sauvignon Blanc enjoys huge popularity in Turkey. However, could I find an organic or sustainable wine? I really didn’t think so. Imagine my delight when I learned that Domaine Pascal Jolivet farms biodynamically!

The Loire Valley

The Loire Valley stretches across the middle of France and produces wines from one of the most diverse grape selections in all of France featuring Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Muscadet, Melon de Bourgogne, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Malbec, and Gamay. From Orleans in the heart of France, the Loire Valley stretches almost 400 kilometers to the Nantes near the Atlantic Ocean and encompasses a divergent range of climates. With such grape and climatic disparity, it’s necessary to divide the valley into smaller regions. Starting in the east, these smaller regions are: Upper Loire, Touraine, Saumur, Anjou, and Pays Nantais on the Atlantic coast.

Each region has its own specialty. The Upper Loire, especially the well-known Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé, is Sauvignon Blanc territory. Next door in Touraine Chenin Blanc reigns but red wines made from Cabernet Franc have found their place as well. Saumur is a premiere region for sparkling wines, especially those made from Chenin Blanc. Anjou also specializes in Chenin Blanc, both sweet and dry styles while Pays Nantais, all the way in the west, does crisp whites using Muscadet.

For this event, I chose to focus on Sancerre.

Domaine Pascal Jolivet & Sancerre AOP

Other than a very small amount of red and rosé Sancerre (Pinot Noir), the majority of production in this region is white and Sauvignon Blanc. Located at the eastern edge of the valley, Sancerre sits as far from the Atlantic as you can get (within the valley) giving it a temperate, continental-esque climate. A combination of hills and valleys, Sancerre’s vineyards occupy the left bank of the Loire river across 14 communes. People are very proud of their soils here and credit the combination of chalk, limestone-gravel, and silex (flint) with the distinct aromas and flavors in their wines.

Pascal Jolivet‘s family has worked in wine since the 1920s and in the late 80s, Jolivet decided to strike out on his own. before ‘biodynamic’ and ‘natural’ became buzz words du jour; that was the direction in which he knew he wanted to take his wine. He slowly grew his domaine and now has 120 hectares between Sancerre and Pouilly Fumé, with an additional 60 hectares in Touraine for his “Attitude” label. In the vineyard, Jolivet practices biodynamic farming methods (but does not seem to be certified).

And speaking of vineyards, once the grapes make it to the winery they go through the whole fermentation process with only grapes from the same soil blocks. The final blend ends up with something like 50% limestone (which adds minerality and finesse), 30% limestone clay (enhances fruit and richness), and 20% flint (provides structure and yet more minerality).

Once in the winery, grapes are sorted then lightly pressed to preserve the fruit integrity. Domaine Pascal Jolivet is a gravity-flow winery meaning that the grapes move naturally through each process of winemaking (i.e. they don’t get ‘violently’ pumped from one place to another). The must ferments slowly at low temperatures with indigenous yeasts. The slow, cold fermentation has the added benefit of stabilizing the wine meaning that very little sulfur gets added to the end wine. After fermentation, wines rest for a time on the lees to add to their concentration and complexity.

Pascal Jolivet Sancerre, 2019

The wine poured a pretty, pale hay. The nose displayed everything that I know to be Sauvignon Blanc! Splashes of citrus so bright you could almost see the colors of lemon and pink and yellow grapefruit against a backdrop of lime leaf and wet stone. The lees ageing was immediately evident upon sipping. I didn’t know ahead of time that it had aged sur lie so it felt much fuller-bodied and bigger in the mouth than I expected. Palate flavors were like the aromas reflected in water: the same but softer without the crystal clear edges of the original. Medium plus body with 13.5% abv and medium plus acidity with a lingering, sugared lemon drop finish.

I looked at a bunch of recipes for pairing ideas. In the end, I went simple and classic with a mixed green salad with tart dressing and warm goat cheese. Boy howdy there’s a reason that’s a classic pairing! Last minute I also decided to throw in a tarted up BLT with avocado-feta mash, slow-roasted cherry tomatoes, and thick-cut bacon. And wow was that a surprise! Was it the greatest pairing of the century, no. But they played pretty well together.

How does your garden grow?

Don’t forget to check out what the rest of the #winophiles group discovered about the garden of the Loire! Join us on Twitter Saturday, April 24 at 11am EST as we discuss our wines and pairings. Just follow the #winophiles hashtag!

• Susannah Gold brings “Vouvray – A Wine In Many Styles” to Avvinare. 
• Nicole Ruiz Hudson does “Cooking to the Wine: Domaine Huet Vouvray Clos du Bourg Moelleux & Pork Tenderloin with Citrus Gastrique” on Sommstable.com
• Jane Niemeyer suggests “Tasting and Pairing Loire Valley Wines” on Always Ravenous
• Linda Whipple shares “Organic Muscadet and must-have oysters” at My Full Wine Glass
• Terri Steffes invites you to “A Tasty Dance: Red Beans and Rice with Les Parcelles Mark Dupas Sauvignon Blanc” on Our Good Life
• Wendy Klik prepares “East African Fish Stew and a Wine from Loire, France” on A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Andrea Lemieux offers “Pascal Jolivet & Sancerre the Way Nature Intended” on The Quirky Cork
• Cam Mann has “Porc aux Pruneaux (Pork with Prunes) + Chateau de Parnay Le Blason de Parnay 2018” on Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Host Gwendolyn Alley on Wine Predator shares “Unusual Reds at Loire’s Biodynamic Manoir de la Tête Rouge“