A TASTING FLIGHT FEATURING:

Sancerre is much more than just a dependable, delicious Loire Valley white wine!

Please join us this week for three different expressions of Sancerre that will help you beat the heat of the coming days - a traditional Sancerre Blanc, plus Rosé & Rouge both made with Pinot Noir. Come taste these great terroir-driven wines from Sancerre that both delight and surpass expectations at this price point (with retail bottle prices around $40).

The $20 Sancerre Trifecta Tasting Flight gives you the opportunity to build upon your wine knowledge and master the most renowned region of the Loire Valley.

And with 4th of July quickly approaching, these are the perfect wines to bring along on your holiday trips to the beach or mountains - refreshing, delicious Sancerre that's food friendly and crowd-pleasing, where you'll be the Loire Valley pro at all your gatherings!

Please let us know if we can put together a mixed-case for you to pick-up on the way out of town. We'll have the cold packs ready!

For all all you sticking around town, the Tasting Flight starts today (Wednesday), and I hope you'll stop by for both the classic Sauv Blanc and two beautiful takes on Pinot Noir. You'll be mpressed with how well the minerality and red fruit profile work together at every sip.

Please read on for our weekend lineup and a brief overview of the appellation.

Cheers and let's drink more Sancerre!



- Mark

FRIDAY, JULY 12th

SAVE THE DATE

Bastille Day Grande Tasting Event

Come rejoice with 12 great Burgundy selections as we celebrate all things French!



• TICKETS RELEASING THIS WEEK!

PARK ROAD: 

5:00 - 7:00pm Wednesday

5:00 - 9:00pm Thursday - Friday

1:00 - 9:00pm Saturday

1:00 - 7:00pm Sunday

DOMAINE DENIZOT

Sancerre Blanc 2022

Sancerre, FR

$42 btl/retail

This sunshine-ready Sancerre by husband & wife team of Thibauld and Jennifer Denizot has a refreshing character thanks to its limestone-driven minerality. Refined and elegant, this Blanc leaves a satisfying impression of juicy white fruit.

Varietal: 100% Sauvignon Blanc grown in Caillotes from the villages of  Amigny, Chavignol, Sancerre and Verdigny. Grapes are hand-harvested and gently pressed pneumatically. The juice moves freely by gravity to a combination of concrete and stainless steel for fermentation and aging on the fine lees for one year.

Tasting Notes: On the nose, it is intensely aromatic, offering vibrant notes of gooseberry, passionfruit, and green apple, alongside delicate floral hints of elderflower and orange blossom. The wine's minerality is evident with an underlying aroma of wet stones and a touch of flint. On the palate, this Sancerre Blanc is crisp and refreshing, with a taut, energetic structure. Those lifted, exotic fruit flavors from the nose are complemented by citrus notes of lemon and grapefruit, as well as subtle herbal undertones of freshly cut grass.

DOMAINE DE SACY

Sancerre Rosé 2023

Sancerre, FR

$38 btl/retail

Sacy is a tiny hamlet near Crézancy and Bue in the Sancerre region, where Karine Millet has just recently taken over the family domaine. This lovely Pinot Noir Rosé is casual, elegant, and the perfect Summer wine.

Varietal: 100% Pinot Noir from vines grown in Teres Blanche (a ‘late-ripening’ terroir made of thick clay layers intertwined with flat, white limestone stones). Average vine age of 30 years.

Tasting Notes: Brimming with notes of fresh red berries, this Rosé is fresh yet dry, with good structure and depth and just the right amount of acidity to quench your thirst.

MICHEL VATTAN

"B-C" Sancerre Rouge 2020

Sancerre, FR

$30 btl/retail

Less than 10% of the 9 ha of Domaine Michel Vattan are dedicated to Pinot Noir. Winemaker P. Joulin's Sancerre Rouge is a fruit forward wine with supple tannins and density thanks to his yield control and the grass cover between the vines. I'm grillin' out with this one...

Varietal: 100% Pinot Noir that is aged in stainless steel tanks.

Tasting Notes: On the nose, this wine offers up aromas of fresh raspberries, cherries, and subtle hints of earthy spices. The palate is medium-bodied with a lively acidity and soft tannins. The primary notes of red fruits give way to nuanced light vanilla notes, and a touch of smokiness that lead into a long and satisfying finish. 

Like many other famous Old World wines, Sancerre is both the name of a wine (typically associated with Sauvignon Blanc) and a place. The region is located in the eastern reaches of the long Loire Valley, just two hours south of Paris.

The Sancerre appellation is named after the village of the same name. But the appellation covers vineyards planted in 14 surrounding communities. So, although a Sancerre wine must come from the Sancerre region, it may not come from the village of Sancerre.

Sancerre's history with winemaking dates back to the Roman Empire. In the Middle Ages, the winemaking activity was already intense; throughout the centuries, the reputation of Sancerre wines grew and reached its peak during the 18th century. In the 20th century, Sancerre wines faced challenges with phylloxera, the world wars, and other factors. Still, it recovered and established itself as one of France's most reputable wine regions.

The region is predominantly planted to Sauvignon Blanc (accounting for ~80%), but there is still Pinot Noir planted in Sancerre today - making great value Pinot Noir alternatives to Red Burgundy, with a lightness and mineral or herbaceous freshness that balances the Pinot fruit.

Also some of France’s greatest rosés are from Sancerre - wines with depth and minerality as well as the joyful fresh fruit we all crave from rosé.

Sancerre is a region of unique and exceptional terroir which, from a geological perspective, can be loosely broken into three parts:

1. Silex: clay with flint
2. Kimmeridgian limestone (aka: terres blanches): a chalky soil made of ancient oyster fossils
3. Oxfordian limestone: which comes in two main varieties, referred to as Caillottes (a mix of limestone and gravel) and Griottes (a mix of limestone and clay).

SILEX

The ‘Silex’ terroir produces the most sought-after Sancerre thanks to their elegance and their intense minerality. Located alongside the Loire river, it is a very ‘early-ripening’ soil. The flint stones accumulate heat from the sun during the day and radiate at night which accelerate the maturity of the grapes. Siliceous clay soil accounts for the smallest of the main terroirs, representing approximately 15% of the surface area under vine.

CAILLOTTES

This type of terroir consists of fragments of coarse Kimmeridgian limestone that give way in some areas to softer Oxfordian limestone that produces finer fragments known as griottes or very fine fragments called grous which are wind deposits. Oxfordian limestone from the Jurassic Period is found in the form of a bed of white stones that are flat as they were shattered by frost. Rain washed the surface earth away, leaving the little stones or caillottes that are so characteristic of Sancerre’s hills visible at the surface. Wines produced from grapes grown in this type of soil are nervous, fruity and pure. They may be enjoyed immediately (between 6 months and 1 year). They lend aromatic structure and freshness when part of a blend.

TERRES BLANCHES



Located higher up the slope from the caillottes, the soil in these vineyards consists of Kimmeridgian marls. These formations are found at the top of some hills and on the main slopes. This type of soil is extremely rich in shellfish fossils and has the distinctive characteristic of turning white when it dries, hence its local name, les terres blanches (white earth). The wines produced from grapes grown in this type of terroir are soft and full of aromatic finesse. They require more time to acquire all of their character. As part of a blend, they often provide the backbone of the wine due to their complexity and power.

We will have your order ready for pick-up at our

Flagship Store at 4001 Park Rd!

 mark@petitphilippe.com | www.petitphilippe.com

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