Gitton Pere et Fils Sancerre Les Belles Dames 2019
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From a 5 hectare parcel on flint soil, Les Belles Dames carries a dusty, edgy beam of acidity on a sturdy frame. This thirst quenching Sancerre begins to develop texture with age or one hour of decanting.
From his 27 hectares in Sancerre, Pouilly Fume and the Côteaux du Giennois, Pascal Gitton crafts a tantalizing selection of vins de terroirs. A real favorite is the classically styled Les Belles Dames. This trenchant Sauvignon Blanc is produced from selected vines grown on the silex soils of the 5 hectare lieu-dit – Les Belles Dames. The wine is aged for 9-10 months in oak barrels – (not new!) The wine possesses mouth-wateringly ripe and flinty, zesty fruit flavors along with racy acidity and breathtaking delineation. This is an exceptionally elegant and harmonious Sancerre with lovely purity of fruit and a distinctive steely minerality.
Capable of a vast array of styles, Sauvignon Blanc is a crisp, refreshing variety that equally reflects both terroir and varietal character. Though it can vary depending on where it is grown, a couple of commonalities always exist—namely, zesty acidity and intense aromatics. This variety is of French provenance. Somm Secret—Along with Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc is a proud parent of Cabernet Sauvignon. That green bell pepper aroma that all three varieties share is no coincidence—it comes from a high concentration of pyrazines (herbaceous aromatic compounds) inherent to each member of the family.
Marked by its charming hilltop village in the easternmost territory of the Loire, Sancerre is famous for its racy, vivacious, citrus-dominant Sauvignon blanc. Its enormous popularity in 1970s French bistros led to its success as the go-to restaurant white around the globe in the 1980s.
While the region claims a continental climate, noted for short, hot summers and long, cold winters, variations in topography—rolling hills and steep slopes from about 600 to 1,300 feet in elevation—with great soil variations, contribute the variations in character in Sancerre Sauvignon blancs.
In the western part of the appellation, clay and limestone soils with Kimmeridgean marne, especially in Chavignol, produce powerful wines. Moving closer to the actual town of Sancerre, soils are gravel and limestone, producing especially delicate wines. Flint (silex) soils close to the village produce particularly perfumed and age-worthy wines.
About ten percent of the wines claiming the Sancerre appellation name are fresh and light red wines made from Pinot noir and to a lesser extent, rosés. While not typically exported in large amounts, they are well-made and attract a loyal French following.