1605 San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94702

KERMIT LYNCH WINE MERCHANT

Technical Information

Wine Blend Vine Age Soil Type Vineyard Area*
Sancerre Blanc
Sauvignon Blanc 5 – 65 years average Clay, Limestone, Kimmeridgian marl 10.51 ha
Sancerre Blanc “Cuvée Marcel Henri”
Sauvignon Blanc 50 – 65 years average Clay, Limestone, Kimmeridgian marl 1 ha
Sancerre Blanc “Les Cris”
Sauvignon Blanc 30 years average Clay, Limestone, Kimmeridgian marl .90 ha
Sancerre Blanc “Les Racines”
Sauvignon Blanc 45 – 65 years average Clay, Limestone, Kimmeridgian marl .45 ha
Sancerre Blanc “Les Coutones”
Sauvignon Blanc Planted in 1994 (1 ha), 2006 (.61 ha) Clay, Limestone, Kimmeridgian marl 1.61 ha
Sancerre Rosé
Pinot Noir 15 years average Clay, Limestone, Kimmeridgian marl 1 ha
Sancerre Rouge
Pinot Noir 20 – 55 years Clay, Limestone, Kimmeridgian marl 2 ha
Sancerre Rouge “Le Chant de l’Archer”
Pinot Noir 55 years average Clay, limestone, Kimmeridgian marl 1 ha
Sancerre Rouge “Champs d’Alligny”
Pinot Noir Planted in 1963, 1965 Clay, limestone, Kimmeridgian marl 0.5 ha
* "ha" = hectares; one hectare equals roughly two and a half acres

VITICULTURE / VINIFICATION

• Harvested by hand
• Grapes sorted by hand in the winery
• Sustainably farmed grapes without use of herbicides
• Vines planted at a density of 7500 to 9000 vines per hectare
• All wines are fermented with indigenous yeasts without added sulfur

• Domaine will be certified organic by EcoCert starting with the 2022 vintage


Sancerre Blanc:

• Grapes are immediately de-stemmed and pressed after the harvest
• Juice transferred from press to tank by gravity
• Must undergoes cold-soak for 3 or 4 days
• Vinification in temperature-controlled stainless steel tank and foudre
• Wine ages on the lees until bottling
• Wine does not go through malolactic fermentation


Sancerre Blanc “Cuvée Marcel Henri”:

• Grapes come from the domaine’s oldest vines, planted by Daniel’s father and uncle
• Vinification in foudre
• Wine ages in foudre for 1 year, after 1 year the wine is racked in stainless tank and ages for an additional 6 months before bottling
• Wine does not undergo malolactic fermentation


Sancerre Blanc “Les Cris”:
• “Les Cris” is the name of the parcel from which this wine is made. The soil is composed of pebbles of limestone that are locally called “cris” or “griottes”
• Grapes are immediately de-stemmed and pressed after the harvest
• Fermentation takes place in Acacia barrels and the wine stays in these barrels for approximately 8 months, aging on the lees. There is no stirring of the lees
• 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
• The barrels are 1/3 new, 1/3 1 year old, 1/3 2 years old
• Wine does not undergo malolactic fermentation

Sancerre Blanc “Les Racines”:
• “Racines”, or “roots”, is a reference to the past and the viticultural history of the Chotard family, which dates back several centuries. The grapes for this cuvée are sourced from vines planted by the great-grandfather, grandfather, and father of Simon Chotard.
• Vines are planted mid-slope with southern exposure
• Grapes are immediately de-stemmed and pressed after the harvest
• Fermentation takes place in fûts (30% new, 300 to 500 liter barrels) and the wine stays in these barrels for approximately 10 months, aging on the lees. There is no stirring of the lees.
• After 10 months, wine is transferred to stainless steel tank for 6 months and then ages for 2 months in bottle before release
• Wine does not undergo malolactic fermentation

Sancerre Blanc “Les Coutones”:
• From a parcel with perfect southern exposure
• Vinification and aging in neutral foudres for 1 year
• After 1 year, wine is racked and aged 6 months in stainless steel before bottling
• No malolactic fermentation
• Les Coutones is owned exclusively by the Chotards and is nicknamed “Slope of the Sun”

Sancerre Rosé:

• Made from direct press
• Grapes are not de-stemmed before pressing
• Vinified just as the Sancerre Blanc

• Wine does not go through malolactic fermentation


Sancerre Rouge:

• Grapes are hand-harvested and entirely de-stemmed
• Grapes undergo a cold maceration for 5 days
• Alcoholic fermentation takes approximately 3 weeks
• Wine ages both in stainless steel (70%) and fûts (30% new, 300 to 500 liter barrels)
• Wines goes through malolactic fermentation spontaneously, typically during the spring or summer
• Wines is bottled after 15 months of aging

Sancerre Rouge “Le Chant de l’Archer”:

• Grapes are hand-harvested and entirely de-stemmed
• Grapes undergo a cold maceration for 5 days
• Alcoholic fermentation takes approximately 3 weeks
• Wine ages both in stainless steel (70%) and fûts (30% new, 300 to 500 liter barrels)
• Wines goes through malolactic fermentation spontaneously, typically during the spring or summer
• After aging 1 year in fûts, wine is transferred to stainless steel tank for 6 months before bottling

Sancerre Rouge “Champs d’Alligny”:
• A single-vineyard Pinot Noir from a small parcel planted by Simon Chotard’s great-uncle and grandfather
• Parcel sits on a south-facing slope with lots of limestone in topsoil and Kimmeridgian marl in subsoil
• Previously blended into the domaine’s Sancerre rouge; bottled separately as of the 2018 vintage
• Yields restricted to around 30 hl/ha
• 40-70% stem inclusion
• Maceration lasts roughly four weeks (includes 5-day cold soak, two weeks of fermentation, and one week of additional maceration)
• Aged for 18 months in 400-liter barrels
• Small sulfur addition only at bottling
• Bottled unfiltered

General Information

Country
France
Region
Loire
Appellation(s)
Sancerre
Producer
Simon Chotard
Founded
1789
Annual Production
8,300 cases
Farming
Organic (practicing)
Website
http://www.chotard-sancerre.com
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