Domaine Chotard Sancerre Rouge ‘Tradition’ 2023

Country: France
Region: Loire Valley

When he’s not organising concerts or playing jazz piano and guitar in his band, Daniel Chotard is crafting wines in the heart of Sancerre. As current president of the BIVC (Bureau Interprofessionnel des Vins du Centre) and heir to a winemaking lineage dating back to 1789, he blends creativity and tradition in his approach.

Since 1992, he has managed 15 hectares of vines on limestone slopes in Reigny, near Crezancy-en-Sancerre. Divided into 40 parcels, the vineyard is planted with 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Pinot Noir, offering a detailed expression of terroir. Chotard practices sustainable viticulture, using organic treatments when possible and encouraging grass cover between the vines. In the cellar, he favours minimal intervention to preserve purity and origin.

For his Sancerre Blanc, he uses neutral yeasts to protect the grape’s natural aromas, highlighting the variety’s mineral character. A standout cuvée comes from two historic plots: Les Plates, a warmer limestone site planted by his grandfather, and Les Marnes, a cooler marl-soil parcel facing the setting sun. The resulting wine is long, saline, and structured, aged 20 months to express the full depth of these old vines.

As Daniel likes to say, “Good wine is made to bring happiness.”

Climate: Semi-continental climate

Terroir: Soil base of clay, Limestone, Kimmeridgian marl

Ageing: They are fermented in stainless steel tanks with a vatting of 3 weeks in order to extract the best colour and aromas of this grape. Malolactic fermentations and ageing are partially done in vats and partly in oak barrels. This wine is bottled after an average 15 months after harvest.