Saget Rose, Sancerre and Joe's Stone Crabs - a heavenly pairing

Primary tabs

Recently, had a lovely luncheon with Arnaud Saget of Saget Famille Perrin Wines. He just flew over from Paris, the day before, so was thrilled to finally meet in person and key members of his new Esprit Du Vin team. And, the meeting venue was one I always wanted to try, hailed by the world famous Joe's Seafood in Miami.

 

Arnaud, who runs the business with his brother, Laurent Saget and winemaker, Phillipe Reculet, explained that Saget wines exude the ultimate qualities of wines from France's entire Loire Valley, the crus, terroirs, vintages and cuvees from the creme de la creme of the entire region. Beginning with roots in 1792, nine generations ago, Arnaud explains that it is in the last two generations family business that the Saget wine brand has become a real wine powerhouse.

 

Arnaud's father, built the business from Pouilly, France, aquiring more and more property all over the AOC region. Saget Wines now own 40 out of 86 of the AOC's in Loire Valley. Quite a feat. Current production of their wines are 500,000 cases a year.

 

My 2 standouts from the lunch.

DOMAINE DE LA PERRIÈRE SANCERRE 2015

100% Sauvignon Blanc, 12.5% alcohol, $26 retail.

The wine is aged on fine lees for 3 months, preserving maximum natural CO² before bottling to limit the addition of sulfites and to maintain freshness. The wine is usually bottled in March and aged at least 3 months in their cellar.

Pale yellow hue with grey highlights. Refined, delicate nose displaying floral notes of elderflower and acacia on first pour, then white fruit notes of peach and citrus aromas of lemon. On the palate, the fat, tightly-wound attack stays delicate and slender, supported by freshness and a pure minerality imparted by silica salts. The citrus expression of lemon zest recurs on the finish.

 

Saget La Perrière-LA PETITE PERRIÈRE ROSÉ 2015    

100% pinot noir, 12% alcohol, pale-pink hue, $15

Since 1870's, Famille Saget have worked to create their signature Saget La Petite Perrière wines- melding the perfect balance, a blend of richness and elegance via the meticulous selection of grapes, expertly crafted. The new designation of Vin de France offered the family the opportunity to explore and discover the ideal balance between the fruitiness of those varieties grown in the south and their acidity when produced in the northern region (Loire); thus La Petite Perrière wines were created. The Vin de France designation is utilized for the entire La Petite Perrière range.

 

La Petite Perrière Pinot Noir is largely sourced from  estate vineyards in Touraine (Loire Valley) and a part of the blend is sourced from the South of France, through long term partners and thus, the sourcing for the la Petite Perrière Rosé is the same. #RoseAllDay for me, indeed.

 

The service at Joe's Seafood in Washington, DC, was stellar and the food, worth the fifty years to taste Joe's famed stone crabs. They cracked the claws perfectly to pick out with a seafood fork. And the dijon, horseradish dipping saue, a terrific dipping companion. My two favorite wines stood firmly against the food choice. Bucket list, check!

 

 

 

 

 

Patti Neumann is Founder of CITYPEEK.com & an award-winning 21 C website & blog. She is one of the region's top Social Media Influencers on food, wine, spirits & the good life. CITYPEEK.com has its finger on the pulse of what's hot in the world of food, cocktails & travel trends.

Social Media