Balanced and round Pinot from the Loire

Very seductive soft sweet ripe strawberry and red cherry fruits; delicious by itself.

• 2020 vintage Mentioned in The Irish Times, John Wilson, 07/08/21
• 100% Pinot Noir
  
• From a red, white and rosé Sancerre producer
  

Food Pairing: Delicious by itself, with fish or platters.

Cellaring: Ideal to drink now when fresh.

STORY BEHIND THIS WINE

André Vatan inherited from his father Jean who passed away suddenly in 1988. He has cemented the already excellent reputation of the estate’s wines working with meticulous care in the vineyards and cellar assisted by his wife Aimee. He has gradually expanded the domaine and today has 10ha of vines with 1ha of pinot noir and the rest sauvignon blanc. Most of the vineyards are composed of silex, a sort of flint and sand-based soil and the remainder are on limestone.

Most people, understandably think of white wine when they think of Sancerre, so it’s a rare treat to try a red or rosé one made from Pinot Noir. They are a little lighter than those from Burgundy but share the grape’s characteristic cherry and berry fruit character. This is made from a plot just outside the appellation, so it is labelled as a Val de Loire. 2020 was a good vintage in the Loire with the main issue being not the weather but the pandemic.