Wine of the week: sound the trumpets for this genuine work of art
This sauvignon blanc from winemaker Simon Chotard is a genuine revelation.
![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eUtardpVh55YygWTVbusCU-415-80.jpg)
2018 Sancerre Blanc, Cuvée Marcel Henri, Domaine Chotard, Loire, France
£25.95, bbr.com
I am always on the hunt for elite sauvignon blanc, but this is not as easy a task as it ought to be, given there are oceans of examples out there. Most leave me feeling unfulfilled, lacking in drive on the nose, mid-palate traction and drama on the finish. These traits were commonplace 20 or 30 years ago when great terroir did its job and winemaking was less scripted, but today, with selected yeasts, modern viticulture and less rigorous site selection, sauvignon is grown on any patch of dirt going and production by rote eliminates individuality. No one wants to drink vinonymous wines.
Subscribe to MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/mw70aro6gl1676370748.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/mw70aro6gl1676370748-320-80.jpg)
Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
When I sound the trumpets, I mean it, and so this wine is a genuine revelation. Made from two specific parcels of old vines, one of which was planted by winemaker Simon Chotard’s great-grandfather, this wine is vinified and then matured in large, old oak barrels, or foudres, and also steel tanks for 18 months before it is bottled and released. This combination of unique fruit, gentle handling and patient production has resulted in a genuine work of art.
With a score of 18.5/20 in my notes and far too many mentions of the word “classy”, this is a thrilling discovery and the first time I have written up a Chotard wine. If you are new to this estate or indeed if you know them well, then you simply must taste this ethereal and extraordinary creation. It is my sauvignon blanc of the year.
Matthew Jukes is a winner of the International Wine & Spirit Competition’s Communicator of the Year (matthewjukes.com)
Sign up to Money Morning
Our team, led by award winning editors, is dedicated to delivering you the top news, analysis, and guides to help you manage your money, grow your investments and build wealth.
Matthew Jukes has worked in the UK wine business for well over three decades and during this time has written 14 wine books.
Matthew regularly lectures, judges, speaks at wine conferences and runs masterclass tastings for both corporate and private clients all over the world. Matthew is also the creator of his ground-breaking initiative, the One Day Wine School, an indulgent day of tasting and learning first performed in 2006.
He has been the MoneyWeek wine correspondent since 2006 and has written a weekly column for the Daily Mail’s Weekend Magazine since 1999. His four highly-acclaimed, annual wine reports – the Burgundy En Primeur Report, the Bordeaux En Primeur Report, the Piemonte Report and the 100 Best Australian Wines – are published on his website, www.matthewjukes.com.
Matthew is one of the world’s leading experts on Australian wine and, with Brisbane-based wine writer Tyson Stelzer, runs an annual competition in Australia to find ‘The Great Australian Red’. He was made Honorary Australian of the Year in the UK at the 2012 Australia Day Foundation Gala dinner.
Matthew is a winner of the International Wine and Spirit Competition's Communicator of the Year Trophy. His thoughts, recommendations and tastings notes are followed very closely by the wine world at large.
-
Will Labour scrap the British ISA?
While it was the brainchild of the Conservatives, the British ISA received little love and now it seems Rachel Reeves may scrap the idea altogether. What does this mean for the ISA landscape?
By Kalpana Fitzpatrick Published
-
Direct Line returns to profit but loses almost 500,000 customers - here is what it means
Direct Line posted a pre-tax profit of £61.6m for the six months to June 30, compared to losses of more than £75m a year ago - what does it mean for the insurance sector?
By Chris Newlands Published
-
Val d’Isère is a valley of delights
MoneyWeek Travel Matthew Partridge reviews Airelles Val d’Isere and Hotel Mont-Blanc in the famous French ski resort
By Dr Matthew Partridge Published
-
Review: The Ozen Collection – a dream stay in the Maldives
MoneyWeek Travel Ozen Life Maadhoo and Ozen Reserve Bolifushi, where luxury meets nature, are almost too good to be true, says Nicole García Mérida.
By Nicole García Mérida Published
-
Review: An odyssey through Sri Lanka
MoneyWeek Travel Merryn Somerset Webb explores the South Asian country’s ruins, jungle and fabulous food.
By Merryn Somerset Webb Published
-
Flexjet review: the only way to fly
MoneyWeek Travel Chris Carter flies with Flexjet, a provider of fractional ownership of private jets, to St Moritz in Switzerland for the Snow Polo World Cup.
By Chris Carter Published
-
South American nature holidays – take a walk on the wild side
Travel We find holidays in South America where you can explore nature in all its diversity.
By Chris Carter Published
-
Collectables: The Christmas gift for people who have everything
A collectable is deeply personal. It is the archetypal thoughtful Christmas gift.
By Chris Carter Published
-
Lucknam Park Hotel review: a stately stay in the country
MoneyWeek Travel Matthew Partridge tries his hand at horse riding at the luxury Lucknam Park Hotel in Wiltshire.
By Dr Matthew Partridge Published
-
Calilo – sustainable luxury on a Greek island: MoneyWeek Travel
MoneyWeek Travel Rupert Hargreaves visits Calilo, a resort on the Greek island of Ios, where sustainability and luxury live in harmony
By Rupert Hargreaves Published