Lucien Crochet : Les Calcaires 2022

Tasting characteristics and notes for the 2022 Les Calcaires cuvée from Lucien Crochet

Tasting

Appearance
Beautiful yellow-gold color adorned with golden highlights.

Nose
Subtle at first, the nose gradually reveals iodized and chalky notes accompanied by pastry-like fragrances, subtly underpinned by delicate woody touches. With aeration, aromas of ripe lemon and orange enrich the whole.

Palate
The attack is supple, immediately revealing an appealing array of yellow fruits. The palate, endowed with good substance, stands out for its density and texture. The expressive yellow fruit brings a sensation of freshness, while the warm finish remains firmly anchored in minerality, revealing the full identity of the terroir.

Serving

For optimal enjoyment, it is recommended to serve this wine at a temperature of 10°C.

Food and wine pairing

This Loire white wine pairs ideally with sea bass en papillote, roast guinea fowl with spices, as well as veal blanquette.

Cellaring potential

Already approachable, this cuvée can be cellared until around 2030 to reveal its full aromatic palette.

A lively and complex Loire white wine

The estate

Born from the merger of the estates of André Crochet and Lucien Picard, the Domaine Lucien Crochet has gradually developed to reach its current surface area of 38 hectares within the Sancerre appellation. The vineyard extends mainly over the village of Bué, but also Sancerre, Crézancy and Vinon. While 29 hectares are planted with Sauvignon Blanc, 9 hectares are planted with Pinot Noir.

The vineyard

The estate oversees a 35-hectare vineyard, of which 26 are planted with Sauvignon Blanc and 9 hectares with Pinot Noir. The source of great vins de Sancerre, these vineyards owe their singularity to their clay-limestone soils, their mosaic of exposures and their altitude between 240 and 280 meters.

The wine

Les Calcaires de Lucien Crochet is a vin de Sancerre blanc produced from a rigorous selection of plots planted exclusively on clay-limestone soils (caillottes and griottes).

The vintage

A mild winter favored early budbreak, followed by a month of May whose warm, dry conditions were ideal for vegetative growth. Flowering was even before a wet June. Veraison was ideal. The warmth persisted through to the harvest, which began on August 31.

Winemaking and aging

Harvested by hand. Gentle pressing followed by cold settling for 24 to 36 hours. Fermentation in stainless steel tanks. Aged on full lees for 7 months before racking and additional aging on fine lees for 10 months.

Grape variety

100% Sauvignon Blanc.