Pascal et Nicolas Reverdy takes its name from two brothers that has run this estate together from 1993. After Nicolas died in an accident in 2007, his widow Sophie has been working for the small winery. Today they have 14 hektars of vines in Sancerre, mostly in Maimbray where the winery is situated or in neighbouring Sury-en-Vaux. The classical line of wines are called Terre de Maimbray. It is made as white, rose and red. The vines grow on clay with chalk. There is one cru-selection each for white and red Sancerre. The white is named Les ange lots. Grapes are selected from old vines planted between 1936 and 1950 grown in the same soil-type as the Terre de Maimbray. It is aged 10 months on the lees and spends some time in big barrels of 40 hectolitre. The red cru is named Sancerre A Nicolas. The grapes here are sourced from a vineyard in Bue named Les Garennes from vines planted in 2000. It spends 12 months in a mix of barrels – 40% is new. The soil here is calcareous limestone. The wines of Pascal et Nicolas Reverdy are classical Sancerre-wines. I was especially fond of the standard-wines Terre de Maimbray. Especially the white is a very good standard Sancerre. The whites are better than the reds here, but that is also typical for the wines in the region.
Tasting notes
Sancerre Terre de Maimbray 2010
From vines grown in limestone and clay. Balsamic nose with hints of nettle, minerality and slightly touch of riper fruits. Fullbodied and yet a refreshing Sancerre in the mouth. Clear and typical greenish sauvignon blanc. Some fine minerality. Light touch of grapefruit on the finish. Fine and refreshing Sancerre in a lightly elegant style. Very good.
Sancerre Les anges lots 2007
More sweetish nose here. Riper with more tropical elements in the fruit. More minerality and wood also showing. Fullbodied in the mouth. Typical more open and oxidative in the making. Lightly ripe fruits. Fine minerality, more pronounced than in the basic wine. Wood also quite obvious here. Perhaps to obvious and not as integreated as I would like. Rounde acids. Good length. Fine wine, but to me the wood distracts a little for the terroir.
Sancerre Les anges lots 2008
Again sweetness from the wood on the nose. Also ripe fruit for this vintage. A sur-lie-character comes through. Fine minerality. Fullbodied in the mouth. Alcohol is fairly high. It is not higher than in ’07, but to me more obvious here. Fruit is not as ripe as ’07, but ripe for this vintage. Tropical hints, wood and sur lie-character. Medium acids for the vintage. Alcohol showing lightly on the finish. Good length. Good wine, but I think I prefer the ’07.
Sancerre Les anges lots 2009
15% alcohol. Vinified very dry. The same woody notes as in the two previous wines. But fruitier on the nose. Ripe fruits. Tropical notes. Less minerality showing. Fullbodied and the largest scaled wine of the three ange lots we tasted. Lots of fruit. More fatness. Medium acids. Yes, there is a lot of alcohol on the finish. But it is not as bad as it sounds, when you read 15%. I think the balance is better in the ’09 than the ’08. But the fruit is ripe and the terroir-character gets a little subdued. Try aging it a couple of years and try again.
Sancerre rose Terre de Maimbray 2010
Orange colour. Light red berries and citrus on the nose. Typical, quite refreshing. Medium bodied in the mouth. Bright red berries and citrus in the fruit. Simple and clear. Fine acids. Gives some refreshment. Simple style. Forgettable, but decent Sancerre rose.
Sancerre rouge Terre de Maimbray 2009
Red colour, violet hues. Lots of fruit-sweetness on the nose. Red fruits. Dark notes. Good body in the mouth. Young fruit. Quite dark fruit-notes with good ripe character. Clear, but simple style. Fine acids. Typical tight finish with some dryness showing. Fairly well-made Sancerre pinot noir, but as with so many other reds of the region it is a forgettable wine.
Sancerre rouge A Nicolas 2008
Violet-red colour. More complexity here. Again lots of dark red fruits. Sweetness from fruit and oak. Obvious oak and some minerality. In the mouth the oak stands more out. As for today it is too much for me. There is some good and ripe fruit. Again quite dark fruit-notes for pinot noir. Some minerality. Oak-notes lies above it all. Fine acids. Tight fnish with more tannins and structure showing than the Terre de Maimbray. Hope for the oak to integrate better and it can be an interesting wine.
Arnt Egil Nordlien
Tasting note: Sep-11
The Domaine Pascal et Nicolas Reverdy resides in the small hamlet of Maimbray outside Sury-en-Vaux north in the Sancerre-zone.
Vineyards overlooking Maimbray.
Sohpie Reverdy eating pinot-noir-grapes.
The day we visited it was also time for harvesting the first pinot noir-grapes. Here is a manuel sorting before grapes go into the pneumatic press.