“Age shall not weary them, nor the years contemn…” There’s a lot of debate in Australia about the correct words to our ode of rememberance which is the verbal cornerstone of reflection on the sacrifices of our war dead. The most common version is using the word condemn, but there is a significant school of thought that the correct (and original) version is with the word contemn.

Why does this come to mind at this time? Firstly ANZAC Day, or national day for rememberance of war has just passed (25 April) and secondly last night I had a Sancerre that demonstrated such forthright alcohol on the palate, not softened at all by the years since its bottling. I’m always a sucker for a good Sancerre, so when I found this one in the local bottle shop I picked it up. Last night dinner was pork chops with salad and pears, so a Sancerre would do the trick nicely. Unfortuantely this is not your normal Sancerre. The taste and smell of alcohol is dominant such that it burns your mouth. It’s surprising therefore that the alcohol level is shown on the label as a usual 12.5%. I would have thought much higher.

If you can put that to one side, and I can’t, Pascal Jolivet is a producer of Sancerre and Pouilly Fume from the Sancerre region of the Loire Valley. What he says about the wine is “Pale, whitish straw in color. The nose is very fresh, very clean with notes of lime peel, green herbs, black currant; typical, not aggressive. On the palate it is fresh and tightly wound; acidity is tempered by very subtle residual sugar; very clean; alive, racy, youthful. Overall, a dry and elegant wine, well balanced. The different origin of soils express fully their differences and their similarities. Slow evolution, very typical Sancerre.

Food pairings: Sushi, soups, shellfish, salads, quiche, pork, fish, asparagus, Asian cuisine.”

2009 Pascal Jolivet Sancerre

2009 Pascal Jolivet Sancerre

The wine is under cork and it certainly poured as you would expect of a great Sancerre. Clear and pale. The nose is a little more citrus and acidic lime than you might expect, but not too much so. What’s hidden is the flint and limestone that comes through as minerality in many Sancerres. Perhaps in a few years age may weary the rough edges just a bit.