2021 Sancerre Blanc, Les Lots, Château la Rabotine, Alban Roblin, Loire

2021 Sancerre Blanc, Les Lots, Château la Rabotine, Alban Roblin, Loire

Product: 20218152648
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2021 Sancerre Blanc, Les Lots, Château la Rabotine, Alban Roblin, Loire

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Description

The 2021 Sancerre Blanc, Les Lots from Château la Rabotine, crafted by talented winemaker Alban Roblin in the esteemed Loire Valley, is a stunning white wine which beautifully represents the region's essence. With its pale golden colour, this Sancerre Blanc immediately charms the senses.

On the nose, enticing aromas of citrus fruits, such as zesty lemon and juicy grapefruit, intertwine with delicate floral notes of white blossoms, creating an inviting bouquet. Subtle hints of minerality and a touch of herbal freshness add depth and complexity to the aromatic profile.

The palate is treated to a symphony of flavours. Crisp and vibrant, the wine showcases the characteristic acidity of Sancerre, harmoniously balanced with the flavours of ripe orchard fruits, including succulent pear and refreshing green apple. A hint of tropical fruit, such as pineapple, adds a delightful touch of exoticism.

The wine's texture is smooth and elegant, with a refreshing mouthfeel that leaves a lasting impression. The finish is long and satisfying, with a vibrant acidity that lingers on the palate and subtle mineral nuances.

This Sancerre Blanc is a versatile and food-friendly wine pairing well with various dishes. It beautifully complements seafood, grilled vegetables, and creamy goat cheese, enhancing their flavours and adding a touch of elegance. Experience Alban Roblin's mastery with this unique expression of Sancerre Blanc.

Berry Bros. & Rudd (May 2023)

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About this WINE

Domaine Roblin

Domaine Roblin

While you might not think it from his quiet and measured manner, Alban Roblin is one of the rising stars of Sancerre. Since 2010 he has been managing the family domaine in the small village of Sury-en-Vaux, just half a dozen kilometres from the town of Sancerre. The domaine comprises 12 hectares, of which 10 are planted to Sauvignon Blanc and the remaining two to Pinot Noir – the source of Alban’s excellent but very small-production Sancerre Rouge.

The vineyards are almost all located in Sury-en-Vaux and neighbouring Maimbray, where the soil type is around 80% terres blanches. These chalky clay soils suffer less from excessive heat or rain than other areas and have proven to be particularly successful in the unpredictable climatic conditions brought about by climate change. The remaining 20% of his vines are planted on caillottes soils which are rich in small limestone pebbles and provide finesse and elegance. In the vineyard, Alban works to a policy of minimal intervention, ploughing soils or allowing grass to grow between rows rather than using herbicides.

In the cellar, the winemaking is as fastidious and careful as the man himself. Depending on the cuveé, Alban carries out fermentation and lees ageing in either neutral stainless steel tanks or carefully selected barrels made from locally grown oak. The fermentation temperature is carefully managed to ensure purity and fruit expression, while a mix of indigenous and selected neutral yeasts are used depending on the circumstances. Alban is a strong advocate of lees ageing, arguing that he wants to give weight, body and power to his wines in order to differentiate them from mass-produced and early-bottled Sancerre.

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Sancerre

Sancerre

Sancerre is a famous white Sauvignon Blancanc appellation located on the left bank of the Loire, across from Pouilly-Fumé.

While Pouilly-Fumé's vineyards are tightly clustered and homogeneous, Sancerre's 14 communes (including the great villages of Chavignol, Bué, Verdigny, Amigny and Ménétréol) are widely dispersed, covering nearly 3,000 hectares over vertiginous valleys at up to 350 metres above sea level, and three distinct soil types: silex, a white flint found around Sancerre and Ménétréol in particular, giving perfume and a fine structure; terres blanches, a calcareous clay soil that whitens as it dries (widely distributed), delivering a full, fruity richness; and caillottes, a Portlandian soil brimming with large limestones imparting both power and verve – as found in Sancerre, Chavignol and Bué.

A fourth soil type, griottes, tightly-packed with small limestones, has also been identified – as found near the village of Vosges. Kimmeridgean clay crops up less consistently than in Pouilly-Fumé and since most Sancerre, bar the single-vineyard wines, are a blend of soils the result is a richer, fuller and fleshier Sauvignon Blanc.

As with Pouilly-Fumé, an increasing number of (single-vineyard) wines are being raised in French oak, mostly 500-litre and demi-muids; little surprise in light of naturally higher alcohol levels due to global warming. Sancerre Rouge is also made from Pinot Noir, the quality of which is often compromised by bleeding some of the juice to make rosé – Vincent Pinard is a master nonetheless.


Recommended producers: François CotatAndré DezatDavid Sautereau

Top vineyards include: Les Monts Damnés, La Grande Côte, Le Cul de Beaujeu, Grand (and Petit) Chemarin, Chêne Marchand

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Sauvignon Blanc

Sauvignon Blanc

An important white grape in Bordeaux and the Loire Valley that has now found fame in New Zealand and now Chile. It thrives on the gravelly soils of Bordeaux and is blended with Sémillon to produce fresh, dry, crisp  Bordeaux Blancs, as well as more prestigious Cru Classé White Graves.

It is also blended with Sémillon, though in lower proportions, to produce the great sweet wines of Sauternes. It performs well in the Loire Valley and particularly on the well-drained chalky soils found in Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé, where it produces bone dry, highly aromatic, racy wines, with grassy and sometimes smoky, gunflint-like nuances.

In New Zealand, Cloudy Bay in the 1980s began producing stunning Sauvignon Blanc wines with extraordinarily intense nettly, gooseberry, and asparagus fruit, that set Marlborough firmly on the world wine map. Today many producers are rivalling Cloudy Bay in terms of quality and Sauvignon Blanc is now New Zealand`s trademark grape.

It is now grown very successfully in Chile producing wines that are almost halfway between the Loire and New Zealand in terms of fruit character. After several false starts, many South African producers are now producing very good quality, rounded fruit-driven Sauvignon Blancs.

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