Daniel Chotard, Sancerre (Loire Valley, France) 2019

Members of the Chotard family have been making wine since the late 1700s.  These days Daniel and his wife, Bridgette, rely on their son, Simon, to head the winery.  The Chotards harvest their grapes later than usual for their region. They use indigenous yeasts to ferment these ripe grapes and allow the resulting wine to remain on the lees, the expired yeast cells, which adds creamy roundness.  The result is a luscious wine with Sauvignon Blanc’s distinctive herbal, lemongrass, lime zest and grapefruit aromas and flavors, with notes of white chalk. In the mouth, it is gracefully round and ripe, yet it practically hums with crackling, citrusy acidity.  Sancerre will shine at the table with a sauteed white fish, such as sole, goat cheese or a salad of thinly sliced fennel and celery topped with fresh mozzarella and a lemony dressing.