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

Tonight's white wine review is this beautiful Sauvignon Blanc from Sancerre that arrived at the LCBO this weekend as part of the April 15 LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection.

It is produced by Jean-Max Roger, one of my favourite Loire Valley wine producers. The Roger family comes from a long-line of winegrowers in the village of Bué, which is located just west and a little south of the town of Sancerre. The first mention of the Roger family name dates back to the 17th century and up until the 1960s, the Roger family practiced mixed farming with animal rearing. In the 1970s, Jean-Max Roger took over the 4 hectares of vines from his parents and together with his wife, Nicole, they focused on developing the vineyards and the estate.

Today, Jean-Max Roger is one of the most highly regarded wine producers in Sancerre and the Loire Valley. Their passion and love for wine and terroir was naturally passed on to their sons, Thibault and Etienne, and in 2004 both joined the family estate. The brothers complement each other, perpetuating their family's know-how and techniques to improve their wines with each passing vintage. The estate covers 28 hectares of vines in the Sancerre appellation, and 6 hectares in Menetou-Salon, with more than 40 plots that offer exceptional diversity of exposure, slope, and soil profiles. This diversity, combined with the Roger family's winemaking expertise, allows each wine to express all of the uniqueness of their terroirs through their structure, elegance, and finesse.

I've had the pleasure of tasting previous vintages of this lovely white wine from Sancerre, including most recently the 2019 Jean-Max Roger Cuvée Les Caillottes Sancerre last September. It is crafted with 100% Sauvignon Blanc that was grown in the famous vineyards of Saint Martin, L'Epée, and others, within the villages of Bué, Amigny, and Sancerre. Most importantly, this is a terroir-focused wine where all of the grapes were grown on limestone soils called "caillottes", and hence, where the wine gets its name from. The grapes have southern and south-western exposure to the sun. The vines are between 6-40 years of age and were managed according to organic principles to produce grapes that reveal its terroir. After harvesting, the grapes are brought to the winery and immediately pneumatically pressed and cold settled for between 48 and 72 hours. It undergoes a long, temperature-controlled fermentation using natural yeasts, followed by ageing on heavy lees. After fining and filtering, the wine is bottled at the estate using their own facilities.

The 2020 growing season was the warmest ever recorded in the Loire Valley. However, periods of intense rain helped fully replenish the soils. March and April were alternately warm and cool, while late April and May were warm; July began cool, but turned very warm, while August was hot. There were some welcomed rains at the end of August, leading to fine September weather. Overall, 2020 is an excellent vintage with wines having concentration, freshness, and poise. Let's see how this 2020 Sauvignon Blanc from Sancerre is tasting tonight...

Tasting Note:

JEAN-MAX ROGER CUVÉE LES CAILLOTTES SANCERRE 2020 - AC, Loire, France (#65573) (XD) - $35.95
100% Sauvignon Blanc. Fresh, fragrant, open, and highly aromatic on the nose with lovely lemon citrus, quince, pear, and spring flower aromas with a fine, flinty mineral underpinning. It is medium to medium-full bodied on the well-structured, dry, and ripe palate with deliciously elegant lemon citrus, stone fruit, apple, quince, and pear replays, plus spicy notes, herbs, and flinty mineral flavours. It is impeccably well-balanced throughout with crisp, juicy acidity, while minerally, herbal, and stone fruit characters linger on the finish, with excellent length. Wow. Highly recommended buy! Score: 93 pts

Other lovely wines by Jean-Max Roger can be purchased at the LCBO or through their Agent - Connexion Oenophilia.