La Poussie Sancerre Blanc 2018
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The palate on the 2018 La Poussie Sancerre Blanc is round with a finesse offering the aromatic flavors of gingerbread, honey and peach. A beautiful minerality brings a lovely character. The finish is persistent and ends on a light and refreshing mineral note. The first notes are very fine, complex and delicate. The aromas of peaches, quince and white flowers follow. Light aeration reveals the delicate scents of exotic fruit. The minerality brings a beautiful equilibrium and harmony.
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This grows at Baron Patrick de Ladoucette’s historic vineyard in Sancerre, a steep amphitheater of clay and limestone with alluvial soils at the base. Fermented and aged in stainless steel, this has complex layers of flavor, building its roundness out of ripe grapefruit and lemon, green floral notes and smoky mineral tones. It’s a full, gracious Sancerre to pour with rich shellfish dishes.
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The vineyard’s origins can be traced back to the Capetians, as witnessed by a document dating from around 1040. Following the French Revolution, the property was divided into 250 parcels. It took 70 years of perseverance and negotiation to bring it back to a sole ownership under the direction of the Baron de Ladoucette.
The exceptional vineyard site with its natural amphitheater of an almost perfect semi-circle of 180° make it one of the most unique in the world. La Poussie is “a jewel in the Sancerre.” The famous 45° steep sloping hillsides of the vineyard provide great sun exposure for the vines.
The Sauvignon Blanc gives the La Poussie Sancerre a light, fruity yet dry taste, infused with the clay and limestone soil. From its stretches of Pinot Noir vines, La Poussie also gives us a balanced Sancerre Rosé while reserving its choicest Pinot Noir grapes to create the delicate Sancerre Rouge.
Capable of a vast array of styles, Sauvignon Blanc is a crisp, refreshing variety that equally reflects both terroir and varietal character. Though it can vary depending on where it is grown, a couple of commonalities always exist—namely, zesty acidity and intense aromatics. This variety is of French provenance. Somm Secret—Along with Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc is a proud parent of Cabernet Sauvignon. That green bell pepper aroma that all three varieties share is no coincidence—it comes from a high concentration of pyrazines (herbaceous aromatic compounds) inherent to each member of the family.
Marked by its charming hilltop village in the easternmost territory of the Loire, Sancerre is famous for its racy, vivacious, citrus-dominant Sauvignon blanc. Its enormous popularity in 1970s French bistros led to its success as the go-to restaurant white around the globe in the 1980s.
While the region claims a continental climate, noted for short, hot summers and long, cold winters, variations in topography—rolling hills and steep slopes from about 600 to 1,300 feet in elevation—with great soil variations, contribute the variations in character in Sancerre Sauvignon blancs.
In the western part of the appellation, clay and limestone soils with Kimmeridgean marne, especially in Chavignol, produce powerful wines. Moving closer to the actual town of Sancerre, soils are gravel and limestone, producing especially delicate wines. Flint (silex) soils close to the village produce particularly perfumed and age-worthy wines.
About ten percent of the wines claiming the Sancerre appellation name are fresh and light red wines made from Pinot noir and to a lesser extent, rosés. While not typically exported in large amounts, they are well-made and attract a loyal French following.