Jean-Max Roger Cuvée Marnes et Caillottes Sancerre 2020 (Loire) - Wine Review

A perennial favourite, tonight's white wine review is this excellent Sauvignon Blanc from Sancerre that came to the LCBO last weekend as part of the December 3 LCBO VINTAGES Release.

It is produced by Jean-Max Roger, a winemaking family that descends from a long line of winegrowers dating back to at least the 17th century in the village of Bué, in Sancerre of the Loire Valley. Up until the 1960s, the Roger practised mixed farming and animal rearing, but when Jean-Max Roger took over in the 1970s from what his parents left him, he (along with his wife Nicole) focused on the 4 hectares of vineyards they had and developed the estate to become one of the top producers in the Loire. They passed on their love for wine and terroir to their sons, and in 2004 Thibault and Etienne, two of their three sons, joined their father at the estate.

Today, Thibault and Etienne continue to define the estate's identity, which is comprised of 34 hectares of land, of which 28 hectares are in the Sancerre appellation. There are more than forty plots of land which offer exceptional diversity of exposure, slope and soil profiles, and are dispersed among the region's three most renowned terroirs - Caillottes (stony calcareous clay soil), Kimmeridgian Marl or Terres Blanches (clayey calcareous clay soil), and Flint (siliceous clay soil). As a complementary team, Thibault and Etienne perpetuate the family know-how and techniques that they are perfecting vintage after vintage. Along with their winemaking expertise, the various terroirs allows each of their wines to express all of the uniqueness of their terroirs through their structure, elegance and finesse.

This Sancerre is crafted with 100% Sauvignon Blanc that was grown in various vineyards within the villages of Bué & Amigny, with soils consisting of Kimmeridgian Marls called "Marnes" and Limestone called "Caillottes", hence the name of the wine. The vines are between 5 and 40 years of age and grown to reveal its terroir, while also using organic techniques and respecting soil life. In the winery, the grapes go through a pneumatic press and a long, temperature-controlled fermentation using natural yeasts. The wine is aged on heavy lees to develop minerality, and fined and filtered prior to bottling at the estate using their own facilities.

I enjoyed the 2019 Jean-Max Roger Cuvée Marnes et Caillottes Sancerre in August of last year and am excited to try the latest vintage. The winter leading up to the 2020 growing season was the warmest ever recorded the Loire Valley, but also featured periods of intense rains that fully replenished the soils. March and April were alternately warm and cool, while late-April and May were very warm. July began cool, but then turned very warm, while August was hot. Harvest began after some welcome rains at the end of August, leading into fine weather for the month of September. The 2020 vintage was another excellent vintage in the Loire Valley with wines showing excellent concentration, freshness, and poise.

This white wine is quite possibly my favourite wine in the Jean-Max Roger portfolio. Let's see how this 2020 Sancerre is tasting tonight...

Tasting Note:

JEAN-MAX ROGER CUVÉE MARNES ET CAILLOTTES SANCERRE 2020 - AC, Loire, France (#196667) (XD) - $33.95
Lovely, intense, and ripe aromas of lemon citrus, melon, and grapefruit with touches of tropical fruit, all underpinned by fine, stony minerality. It has very good fruit concentration on the medium-full bodied palate with ripe, slightly honeyed and gently spicy flavours of lemon citrus, melon, grapefruit, apple, peach, and tropical fruits framed by fresh and elegant acidity. Nicely balanced throughout with fine, leesy mineral notes lingering on the long, crisp finish. Highly recommended buy! Score: 92 pts

Both the Jean-Max Roger Cuvée Les Caillottes Sancerre 2019 and Cuvée Genèse Sancerre 2020 that I enjoyed recently are available at the LCBO, while other wines from Jean-Max Roger can be ordered through their Agent - Connexion Oenophilia.