From: Loire Valley, France
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Taste: Sancerre’s from Chavignol typically have a very linear nature - very driven, racy wines, and this is no exception to the rule. All raspberries, wild strawberries, and stone with a whiff of refreshing grapefruit and palate-quenching blood orange at its core make this one of our favorite rosés this year.
Pairing: It will go well with white meats, as well as cold cuts, especially rillettes and cured ham. It is a great partner for food with friends. This wine would go great with a good pizza or a raclette. It also works well with barbecues, grills, or even tuna and grilled sardines. So… yea. Very versatile. For today’s pairing, we’re going the seafood route, and sharing a recipe for Sesame-Crusted Fish with Butter and Ginger Sauce by Mark Bittman. It’ll take only 15 minutes to make, and will yield 4 servings.
About. This wine comes from only one grape: Pinot Noir, which is the same grape that makes the Sancerre red. The rosé wine is obtained after directly pressing the red grapes, and it is then vinified like the Sancerre white. Less well known than its illustrious comrade, it is also a dry wine. Like the white, it’s a perfect fit for early imbibing and will “seduce you” (cheesy, I know, but so accurate!) with its vibrant, mineral, rosy nature.
Perched high on a hill dominating the Loire, Sancerre is a small town of about 2,000 inhabitants, situated to the East of the Berry, about 200 km South of Paris. The Sancerrois vineyards are planted on the surrounding hills. They cover about 2,800 hectares and 14 communes (including Sancerre, of course). The grape varieties, grown by over 350 vignerons, are the Sauvignon, used for whites, representing about 80% of the surface area, and Pinot Noir, used for the red and rosés.
Thierry Veron began managing his family's estate upon his father's retirement in 2006. The Caves de la Bouquette, as his cellar is known, is located in the hamlet of Chavignol and sources estate-grown grapes from 5.5 hectares of vines planted in the surrounding hills. The harvest and winemaking are done by hand as has been the tradition for generations.
