From a French wine merchant family, Pascal Jolivet is always conscious of Champagne’s brand influence, and in the 1980s, he decided to build his brand in Loire Valley, where most producers are still small and traditional.
Pascal established his winery in Sancerre, the great white wine area of the Loire Valley, and acquired several vineyards and estates in the area to build his brand and wine identity. More than 20 years later, Domaine Pascal Jolivet has grown into a 65-hectare winery, spanning over 42 hectares in Sancerre, eight in Pouilly-Fume and 15 in Tourraine. About 50 perecent of the wines produced are from grapes grown at the estate.
The JamesSuckling.com team recently tasted the full range of his last released wines, and they showed – for most part – a bright expression of the fruit, a lively acidity and mineral undertones. The wines are easily approachable, yet show a distinctive touch and sense of origin.
His 2014 Sancerre Sauvage and 2014 Pouilly Fumé Indigène both scored over 90 points from James, and offer a great amount of complexity and refinement with the latter showing interesting levels of ripeness plus dried stone fruits on its finish.
The Sélection Parcellaire (or parcels selection) offers some nice terroir-driven examples such as Pascal Jolivet Le Grand Chemarin Sancerre 2014 which displays layers of citrus, oyster shell and salty notes.
Here are all the wines tasted by James. Click on wine names for tasting notes and scores if you are a subscriber.
Pascal Jolivet Sauvignon Blanc Pouilly Fumé Terres Blanches 2014
Pascal Jolivet Sauvignon Blanc Pouilly Fumé 2014
Pascal Jolivet Sauvignon Blanc Pouilly Fumé Nature 2014
Pascal Jolivet Sauvignon Blanc Pouilly Fumé Indigène 2014
Pascal Jolivet Sauvignon Blanc Sancerre 2014
Pascal Jolivet Sauvignon Blanc Sancerre Le Roc 2014
Pascal Jolivet Sauvignon Blanc Sancerre Les Caillottes 2014
Pascal Jolivet Sauvignon Blanc Sancerre Le Chêne Marchand 2014
Pascal Jolivet Pinot Noir Sancerre 2013
Pascal Jolivet Sauvignon Blanc Sancerre Clos du Roy 2014
Pascal Jolivet Sauvignon Blanc Sancerre La Côte 2014
Pascal Jolivet Sauvignon Blanc Sancerre Le Grand Chemarin 2014
Pascal Jolivet Sauvignon Blanc Sancerre Sauvage 2014
– Alexandre Centeleghe
