2020 Pascal Jolivet ‘Blanc Fumé’

The Pascal Jolivet Pouilly Fumé is a vibrant yellow color with a dry focused nose of citrus and mineral. On the palate the wine is medium in body, incredibly precise and layered with clean, driving acidity. 100% Sauvignon Blanc

The house of Pascal Jolivet is one of the youngest and most dynamic in the Loire Valley. Founded in 1985, this specialist in the wines of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume has very quickly gained a leading position with the Michelin-starred restaurants of France. Pascal owns an estate of more than 40 acres evenly divided between two appellations.He believes strongly in letting nature make the wine as much as possible, and seeks to tame the more aggressive qualities of the Sauvignon Blanc variety. His wines show the benefits of stainless steel vatting with naturally occurring yeasts. They are fermented cool rather than cold and are left of their lees for four to six months, gaining subtle but complex aromas as a result.The Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume both originate from the Jolivet estate. The Sancerre is a composite of the three soil types in the district: calcareous clay, limestone, and flint. It is more flowery and subtle than many of its type. Pouilly-Fume, from the opposite bank of the Loire, comes from a large diversity of glacial soils and is normally more austere and minerally.

By changing the name of his wine from “Pouilly-Fume” to “Blanc-Fumé” starting with the 2018 vintage, Pascal is taking the wine back to the its roots. “Blanc-Fumé” is the original name of the appellation that was created in 1937 (Blanc-Fumé de Pouilly). He is also going back to his family roots. Before Pascal Jolivet created his own Domaine, his grand-father Lucien Jolivet, was already using the name “Blanc-Fumé” on his labels. “Blanc-Fumé” translates to “Smoky-White”. Why “smoky”? Because of the greyish hue (color of smoke) that the grapes get coated with upon maturity, as well as the “gun flint” aromas that the wine expresses.
Under the name “Blanc-Fumé”, the wine is produced 100% from Pascal’s own vineyards, under the supervi­sion and expertise of his vineyard management team using organic farming methods. The wine is vinified by his talented winemaker Valentina Buoso in the “Pascal Jolivet” natural way: wild yeast, temperature-control­led vinification, ageing on lees, cold settling (no enzyme), and low sulfites.