Jean-Max Roger Cuvée Marnes et Caillottes Sancerre 2018 (Loire) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine review is a crisp, refreshing, and high quality Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley that will be coming to LCBO VINTAGES on December 7th.

It is produced by Jean-Max Roger, one of my favourite Loire producers. The Roger family descends from a long line of winegrowers from the village of Bué, with the name first mentioned in texts in the 17th century. In the early 1970's, Jean-Max Roger took over the family estate and in 2004, two of his three sons, Etienne and Thibault, began working at the estate. Together, they strive to produce wines that both express their terroir and the work that they perform in the vineyards and at the winery. They are continually questioning their viticultural and winemaking practises with sustainability of the soil, the health of the vines, the purity of their musts and the meticulousness of their vinification and ageing processes which are top of mind on a daily basis.

The 2018 harvest in the Loire Valley was historically great in terms and quality and quantity, delivering one of the largest crops of the decade. It was the hottest summer since 2003, and the driest since 1945! From mid-June right through to harvest, sunny, dry weather persisted, resulting in clean fruit with ample ripeness and vivid acidity.

This lovely white white has been making an appearance in VINTAGES quite regularly over the past few years. I enjoyed the 2014 Jean-Max Roger Cuvée C.M. Sancerre Blanc a couple of years ago and I am excited to see the 2018 vintage as it comes to the LCBO in just over a week's time.

Tasting Note:

JEAN-MAX ROGER CUVÉE MARNES ET CAILLOTTES SANCERRE 2018 - AC, Loire, France (#196667) (XD) - $31.95
From 5 to 40 year old vines grown on Kimmeridgian Marls called "Marnes" and Limestone called "Caillottes", this Sauvignon Blanc underwent a long fermentation by natural yeasts and was aged on heavy lees from fermentation until the first racking. Fresh, clean, open, and fragrant nose of stony mineral mingles with lime citrus, stone fruit, and a hint of grassy herb. It is firmly structured and fresh on the palate with very good depth of fruit and flavour intensity, offering stony mineral, citrus, and saline flavours. Tangy, mouth-watering acids are fresh and lively, while the stony-citrus finish has excellent length. Highly recommended buy. Score: 92 pts