Pascal Jolivet's special cuvées

Pascal Jolivet is far from the longest-established but is one of the most ambitious producers of Sancerre and Pouilly Fumé. The prices are certainly ambitious, but the wine quality is there. And in Valentina Buoso (pictured) he has a particularly competent new winemaker.

His grandfather and great grandfather were cellarmasters at Ch de Tracy in Pouilly-sur-Loire. His father Jacques founded and ran a successful négociant business trading in Loire wines and his oldest son Pascal was selling Pommery champagne by the time he was 22. But in 1986 he was persuaded, by Champenois restaurateur Gérard Boyer apparently, to set up...