Region: Sancerre, Loire, France

Varietal: 100% Pinot Noir

Tasting notes: From the great 2015 vintage, this Pinot Noir has a pretty, pale ruby colour and the medium-high intensity nose leads with stony-smoky minerality, followed by red berry, cherry, and currant aromas, with subtle florals. It is light-to-medium bodied on the spicy, red fruited, cherry, and currant palate with elegantly structured tannins. Acids are nice and fresh, while the stony-smoky mineral notes come to the fore on the long, juicy finish.

Producer: The Roger family comes from a long line of winegrowers from the village of Bué. The first texts that mention the family name date back to the early 17th century. Jean-Max Roger took over the four hectares of vines left to him by his parents in the early 1970s and expanded the estate to its current size, 26 hectares. Beginning in 2004, two of his three sons, Etienne and Thibault, came back to work at the estate after various professional experiences in France and abroad. Today, the estate covers a surface area of 26 hectares in the Sancerre AOC, along the Loire River. It also includes 5 hectares of vines located in the Menetou-Salon AOC area of production where the first plantations date back to 1981. They produce white wines made from Sauvignon Blanc as well as reds and rosés made from Pinot Noir. They also sell Pouilly-Fumé, a neighbouring appellation located opposite Sancerre on the left bank of the Loire.

Vineyard and Winemaking: This Sancerre Rouge is made with Pinot Noir grapes grown in the villages of Bué, Sancerre, and Amigny, on flint and limestone soils called Caillottes & Terres Blanches (Kimmeridgian marls) with south western and south eastern exposures. The vines are 25 to 40 years old and tended to using organic principles, handpicked and sorted, then fermented using natural yeast. Approximately 20-30% of the wine was aged in 300 L oak barrels, while the remainder was aged in stainless steel tanks where it underwent malolactic fermentation, with a total ageing time of 10 to 15 months.