The Pascal Jolivet winery is one of the youngest yet dynamic in the Loire Valley. The winemaker allows nature to take its course in the winemaking process, allowing his craftsmanship to truly shine. This results in pure wines. Jolivet grew up as the son of the cellar master of Château de Tracy in Pouilly-Fumé, the wine region opposite Sancerre. He aspired to become a winemaker, but also to forge his own path. Thus, the Pascal Jolivet winery was founded in 1987. His philosophy is to use only well-ripened grapes and to let nature take its course during vinification. The grapes' natural yeast cells do the work.
Pouilly is located 200 kilometers south of Paris, on the eastern bank of the Loire River. Jolivet owns eight hectares in the villages of Les Loges, St. Andelain, and Tracy. Thanks to its location close to the Loire River and surrounded by forest, the vineyards enjoy a relatively mild microclimate. The soils in Les Loges (50 percent of the blend) are chalky, giving the resulting wine length and body, while flint and clay dominate in St. Andelain (30 percent of the blend) and Tracy (20 percent of the blend). The grapes grown in these soils add ripeness and fruit to the blend's character.
After harvest, the grapes are hand-sorted and then gently pressed. The juice is then fermented in stainless steel with natural yeasts for 33 days at 16 degrees Celsius. The grapes from each plot are fermented separately. After fermentation, the wine is aged for another two months in stainless steel before bottling.
This is clearly evident in the aroma, with lovely notes of white fruit, citrus, minerals, and a perfect dose of freshness. On the palate, this Pascal Jolivet Pouilly Fume is pure with a perfect dose of minerality, plenty of white fruit like apple and pear, and a hint of green. But above all, it's perfectly balanced.
