Pascal Jolivet - Sancerre 2023 (Magnum)

One of the most recognisable estates in the Loire, Pascal Jolivet created its namesake brand in 1987. At the beginning of this venture, with no vineyards of his own, he focused on building relationship with some of the best growers in the region, building a brand new cellar and refining his unique style of wines.

In 1993, Pascal acquired from his cousins a beautiful vineyard of six hectares, located in the greatest terroirs of Bué en Sancerre: Le Chêne Marchand, Le Grand Chemarin and La Plante des Prés. In 1995, the first Pouilly-Fumé vineyard of 6.5 hectares was acquired in Tracy-sur-Loire.

The domaine now stretches over 120 hectares of vineyards across the appellations of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé, complemented by 60 hectares in Touraine.

Over the years, Pascal has developed his own much recognisable, pure and elegant style of wines. Pascal practices a biodynamic winemaking, which, in viticultural terms, views the farm as a cohesive, interconnected living system.

Such practices extend from the vineyard to the careful handling of the fruit in the winery. In Jolivet’s winery following harvest, vinifcation begins with light must settling followed by juice fermentation with indigenous yeasts; next maturation on lees is fundamental for the concentration and the complexity of all Jolivet wines. The process is extremely natural and the slow fermentations nourish and sustainably stabilise the wines using very low levels of sulphur.

Valentina Buoso, a young, dynamic winemaker took over from her predecessor, Jean-Luc Soty, who had worked with Pascal for 22 years, in 2013. Pascal shares his philosophy with Valentina: to work in harmony with nature to produce wines with purity of fruit, a linear character and minerality, allowing a natural expression of the vineyard to give the wines a sense of place.

The grapes are sorted upon receipt at the winery, where the team work by gravity in order to be as respectful as possible of the natural cycle of vinification. Pascal lightly presses the grapes and only keep the first part of the juice – the purest, most precise and full of flavour. The musts are then cold settled without the use of enzymes. Each batch from the different terroirs is vinified separately in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats (with natural yeast). The wine is then blended and slightly filtered. It is then aged a further 7 months before bottling.

Producer: Pascal Jolivet

Country: France

Region: Loire Valley

Varietal: Sauvignon Blanc

Appellation: Sancerre

Vintage: 2023

Size: 1.5L