Pascal Jolivet 2025 Sancerre "Sauvage" Blanc 750ml

Pascal Jolivet built his winery from scratch in Sancerre, the great white wine region of the upper Loire Valley, acquiring vineyards and estates piece by piece over more than two decades until Domaine Pascal Jolivet grew into a 65-hectare operation spanning 42 hectares in Sancerre itself, 8 in neighboring Pouilly-Fumé, and 15 in Touraine — roughly half of it estate-grown fruit. Within that broader portfolio, Sauvage occupies a genuinely singular place: a two-hectare parcel selection on limestone terroir in the villages of Champtin and Bué-en-Sancerre, farmed organically on old vines that Jolivet's own team credits with producing exceptionally pure, concentrated juice unlike anything else in the range.

The name means "wild," and it is not a marketing flourish. Jolivet's own tasting notes are refreshingly direct on this point: the wine "must be decanted to let its animal aromas develop" — a genuine acknowledgment that this is Sauvignon Blanc built to show its rawest, most terroir-driven character rather than a clean, purely fruit-forward style. Grapes are entirely hand-harvested and whole-bunch pressed, followed by a light cold settling before fermentation and aging in thermo-regulated stainless steel — an extended lees-aging period of nine to twelve months that builds real textural depth, with the finished wine bottled without fining, filtration, or refrigeration. This is minimal-intervention winemaking applied to one of the Loire's most historically important appellations.

James Suckling's team, tasting through Domaine Pascal Jolivet's full range in a recent vintage retrospective, singled out an earlier release of Sauvage as scoring over 90 points, finding "a great amount of complexity and refinement" alongside the bright fruit expression, lively acidity, and mineral undertones that define the house style across the board. Wine Enthusiast, reviewing a recent vintage, suggested pouring this "instead of white Burgundy," describing golden fruit on the nose alongside restrained sweet baking spice, golden apple, ripe Bosc pear, and hints of caramelized quince and brioche, with a creamy palate carried by acidity that enlivens the entire length of the taste. Another critical assessment found "green apple, stone, lime, nettle and melon rind on the nose," a medium-to-full-bodied palate that's "creamy, firm and dense" with fresh acidity, calling it simply "serious sauvignon blanc." Pascal Jolivet's own house tasting note sums up the wine's core identity: "great freshness, liveliness, minerality, complexity, and salinity on the finish — the purity of a great Sauvignon Blanc from the Sancerre appellation."

Origins & Craftsmanship

Domaine Pascal Jolivet was founded by Pascal Jolivet in Sancerre, in the upper Loire Valley, and has grown over more than two decades into a 65-hectare estate spanning 42 hectares in Sancerre, 8 hectares in Pouilly-Fumé, and 15 hectares in Touraine, with roughly half the total production coming from estate-grown fruit.

Sauvage is sourced from a specific, deliberately small parcel selection of 2 hectares on limestone terroir in the villages of Champtin and Bué-en-Sancerre (also identified by the domaine's US importer as Champtin and Crézancy), on clay-limestone and Kimmeridgian soils, south-facing slopes, planted with old, organically farmed vines that produce an exceptionally pure and concentrated juice. Harvest is entirely manual, followed by whole-bunch pressing and a light cold settling of the juice. Fermentation and aging take place in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks under a philosophy of complete natural vinification, with the wine resting on its fine lees for nine to twelve months, depending on vintage — a process that allows the domaine to bottle without either fining or filtration. Bottled at 13% ABV.

Tasting Profile

Nose
Pale, whitish straw in color. Very fresh and very clean, with notes of lime peel and grapefruit leading the way, joined by golden fruit — golden apple and ripe Bosc pear — alongside green apple, stone, nettle, and melon rind. Restrained sweet baking spice and hints of caramelized quince and brioche add layered warmth beneath the primary citrus brightness.

Palate
Creamy, firm, and dense, medium-to-full-bodied with fresh, lively acidity that enlivens the entire length of the taste. The wine's organic old-vine fruit and extended lees aging build genuine textural richness, while the limestone and Kimmeridgian terroir contribute real minerality and structure throughout.

Finish
Great salinity and complexity carry the close — a distinctly mineral, almost saline character that Pascal Jolivet's own team identifies as the wine's most immediately recognizable signature. True to its "wild" name, the wine benefits from decanting, which allows deeper, more animal, terroir-driven aromas to fully develop and integrate.

Quick Overview

Food Pairings

• Chilled shellfish — lobster, crayfish
• Grilled fresh-water fish — pike, trout
• Swordfish, sea bass, salmon
• White meat and poultry
• Goat cheese

Serving Note

Decant before serving to allow the wine's characteristic "wild" animal aromas to fully develop — this is a deliberate, house-recommended step, not a suggestion for a flawed wine. Serve at 10-12°C.