Domaine Hubert Brochard Sancerre Le Cul de Beaujeu Blanc 2017
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Le Cul de Beaujeu is a wine of great power and intensity, typical of the hillsides of Chavignol. Ripe, exotic notes of guava and passionfruit are accompanied by notes of minerals and herbs. The Kimmeridgian soil brings structure and a unique mineral character to the wine while one year aging on the fine lees before bottling lends richness and texture.
Sauvignon Blanc pairs well with salad greens and other sharp ingredients like tomatoes and vinaigrettes. Sautéed white fish, oysters, smoked salmon, and foods flavored with fresh herbs all work well with Sauvignon Blanc. It is classic with goat's milk cheeses especially those from the Sancerre region such as Crottin de Chavignol and chèvre.
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2016-
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Domaine Hubert Brochard produces classically styled Sancerre blanc, rosé, and rouge from their family-owned winery in Chavignol. Aimée Brochard inherited her father’s vines in the early 1900s, growing grapes and raising goats to produce cheese with the help of her husband Hubert. The domaine is now run by the fifth and sixth generation of Brochards with 152 acres under vine in Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé, and Vin de Pays du Val de Loire. Today, brothers Daniel, Jean-François, and Benoît Brochard run the domaine with the help of Daniel’s daughters, Caroline and Anne-Sophie, and produce wines that express their region’s terroir.
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.