Dom. Denizot Bourgogne Cote Chalonnaise Rouge 1998

f your frame of reference for Sancerre is shrill simplicity, the wines of Thibauld and Jennifer Denizot will add measurable depth and dimension to your perspective. These young vignerons are the 8th generation of their family to work a mosaic of exceptional terroirs. They are intent on showcasing their mythical lieux-dits through attentive farming and deliberate cellar work —especially through intricately composed cuvees. Blending is the hidden art of Sancerre, one at which Thibauld excels. The taut, energetic profile of the Denizot wines reaches its apogee in the Co^te de l’e´pe´e, a precipitous limestone slope that yields sauvignon blanc at its most chiseled and crystalline, and Les Bouffants, a sun-drenched site on griottes and limestone that gives wines of pronounced structure and depth. The Denizots also make an elegant Sancerre Rouge that pays tribute to a less-known aspect of the region’s past. “There is not only one Sancerre, but thousands,” says Thibauld, inviting us to follow a natural curiosity to better understand the region’s surprising facets.