Gitton, Sancerre

Visiting the Centre Loire, on the trail of great Sauvignon, part 3

Pascal and Chanel Gitton

had a great visit with Pascal Gitton and his daughter Chanel. Pascal's wife Denise is Australian, so the family speak pretty good English! We spent quite a while chatting and tasting in their winery, based in Ménétréol-sous-Sancerre, which was founded in 1945 by Huguette and Marcel Gitton.

Sancerre that ages... 

Pascal's grandfather started off which just half a hectare, on his wife's side of the family, and little by little he bought more vineyards. Pascal's father then focused on developing the business side as well as continuing to add vineyards.

They now have 27 hectares in Sancerre (of which 4 are Pinot Noir), and another 6 hectares in Coteaux du Giennois and Pouilly-Fumé. Most of these are hand harvested, but a small portion are machine harvested. The Sauvignon from flint is fermented in 600 litre barrels, while that from the chalk is fermented in stainless steel. Vineyards are kept separate through the winemaking process.

These wines were full of interest, and the real surprise was how good some of the older bottles were. This was a visit that went well.

THE WINES

Domaine Gitton Sancerre Les Montachins 2014 Loire, France
Subtle waxy, stony notes on the nose alongside some taut citrus fruit. Savoury, mineral and taut on the palate with some stoniness. This has an interesting savoury core to it. Nice acidity and focus. 90/100

Domaine Gitton Sancerre Les Montachins 1996 Loire, France
Lovely freshness here: wax, citrus, pear and green apples. Powerful and spicy with some nice waxy notes. Very supple with lovely smooth development. Crystalline and fine with nice green hints. Pure. 95/100

Domaine Gitton Sancerre Les Belles Dames 2014 Loire, France
This is now Gitton's largest vineyard parcel, on flint soils. Pascal Gitton's grandfather went to the conveyancer 80 times in order to get his entire holding in this vineyard, because people were selling tiny plots of land: they weren't interested in flinty soils at the time because they were too hard to plough, and the wines needed to be kept longer because they took longer to express their aromas. 600 litre barrels. Stony and lively with mineral citrus fruit and some lovely cabbage and grapefruit highlights. Nice green hints here. Has good acidity. 91/100

Domaine Gitton Sancerre Les Belles Dames 1990 Loire, France
Pure and fine with stony, mineral notes. Lovely freshness and purity here with fine citrus fruit. So linear and fine with an amazing mineral dimension. Pristine. 95/100

Domaine Gitton Sancerre Les Herses 2014 Loire, France
Silex. Distinctive, stony, waxy and intense with fine herbs, grapefruit, a hint of cabbage and lovely stony, mineral notes. Lovely precision here with keen acidity and deliciously integrated green notes alongside the pure citrus fruit. Long lemony finish. 92/100

Domaine Gitton Sancerre Les Romains 2015 Loire, France
Flint with chalk underneath. There's concentration and freshness here with nice mineral undertones and bold citrus fruit, as well as a bit of pear richness. Lovely ripe, expressive fruit. 91/100

Domaine Gitton Sancerre L'Amiral 2014 Loire, France
Chalky soils. Linear, fresh and direct with linear citrus fruit. Direct with good acidity and linear citrus fruit. Pure. 90/100

Domaine Gitton Sancerre X-Elis Sauvignon 2012 Loire, France
Silex back to front. Powerful, rich and textural with a linear, mineral character, as well as concentrated pear and citrus fruit. There's some richness here, but also lovely precision. Great concentration and weight, but it's not heavy. 93/100

Domaine Gitton Sancerre La Vigne du Larrey Monopole 2014 Loire, France
Distinctive, nutty, spicy nose. Concentrated and powerful with intense, mineral, spicy citrus fruits with lovely texture. Rich and bold, but perfectly balanced with pear and white peach, along with citrus. This is superb. 94/100

Domaine Gitton Sancerre La Vigne du Larrey Monopole 2012 Loire, France
Chalky soil with iron ore in it. Powerful and spicy with nutty and waxy notes. Rich and intense with warmth and depth. Ripe apples, spice and some tangerine/marmalade. A bold, interesting wine with nice depth. Mineral and distinctive. 92/100

Domaine Gitton Sancerre La Vigne du Larrey Monopole 1992 Loire, France
Some oxidative character with toffee notes and marmalade, spices and citrus. Honeyed and rounded with nice development. 91/100

Domaine Gitton Clos Joane D'Orion Pouilly-Fumé 2014 Loire, France
Powerful with some fig and quince characters. Has greenness and brightness with fresh acidity. Nice citrus core. 88/100

Domaine Gitton Sauvignon Blanc de la Vigne du Taureau 2014 Coteaux du Giennois
Linear and fresh with crisp, green-tinged citrus fruit. Fresh and stony with nice greenness. 87/100

Domaine Gitton Sancerre La Galinot 2009 Loire, France
Silex soils. Made in Croation oak foudre. Complex, ripe and textured with lovely pear and yellow plum fruit, with some nice spiciness. Crystalline and rich but with some spicy minerality. Lovely definition here. 94/100 (26 Euro retail)

Domaine Gitton Sancerre La Galinot 1992 Loire, France
Complex and nutty with a mushroom note on the nose, but the palate is really good with nice linear marmalade and citrus notes. Nice acidity here: finishes fresh. 93/100

UK agent is Carte Blanche

VISITING THE CENTRE LOIRE
Part 1, Henri Bourgeois
Part 2, Villargeau
Part 3, Domaine Gitton
Part 4, Masson-Blondelet
Part 5, Denis Jamain
Part 6, Domaines Tatin
Part 7, Philippe Gilbert
Part 8, Domaine Teiller
Part 9, Michel Thomas et Fils
Part 10, Michel Redde et Fils
Part 11, Sylvie et Joël Cirotte
Part 12, Jean-Max Roger

Wines tasted 03/17  
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