From very low-yielding (20 hectoliters per hectare) vines averaging 50 years old and planted on terres blanches (calcaire Kimmeridgien), the 2011 Sancerre Sauletas was hand-picked with 50% botrytis and aged for two years in stainless steel and another year in old oak barrels. It exhibits a clear orange color with a pink hue and an intense bouquet that intermingles ripe stone fruit and tropical notes with earthy aromas and, later, also white nougat, mango/apricot chutney with mustard, ginger and brioche. This is fascinating straight from the bottle! Silky, fresh, refined and very elegant on the palate, this is a full-bodied, concentrated, fiery, sustainably intense and firmly structured Sancerre with an impressively intense finish that is textural, reminiscent of Pinot Noir, and flavorful with notes of dried and stewed apricots. It was bottled straight from the vat, without assemblage, filtration or the addition of SO2 at any time. This is pure fermented grape juice that I tasted over five days during which the wine remained stable, vital, very complex and spectacularly long. Doubtlessly a great, powerful, rich and hedonistic (natural) wine that unites white and red wine lovers and, as such, a fantastic Sancerre for sommeliers to find the right match. Tasted in February 2021.

◆パーカーポイント：９４点
◆飲み頃：２０２３〜２０３４年