Tasting Note
Bright pale straw with a watery hue. Notes of fresh citrus fruit give way to delicious, herbaceous aromatics and minerals. A lovely intensity on the palate, displaying crisp lemon and flint on the finish. Delightful!
Region Details
The Loire valley stretches for 600 kilometres as the great river winds its way from Nevers in central France to the Atlantic. Along its length, a number of different grapes are grown in four distinct sub-regions, from which a wonderful selection of wines is made.
Dry white wines are found at either end of the grape-growing regions; whether from Suavignon Blanc from the vineyards of Pouilly-sur-Loire (home of Pouilly-Fumé), Sancerre, Menetou-Salon and Reuilly, or Muscadet from the best sites in the Sèvre-et-Maine Valleys at the river’s mouth.
In between one finds white wines made using Chenin Blanc, which can produce a range of styles from the driest to the sweetest wines. Naturally high in acidity, Chenin can be picked either ripe, extremely ripe or occasionally with ‘noble rot’. These latter from Layon and Vouvray produce some of the longest-lived white wines you will find, comparable in potential to the finest Rieslings.
Vintage Notes
Grape Variety
A variety with ancestral links to the Loire valley in France and now planted widely around the world. In France it is best known for Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé, though it is widely used in dry white bordeaux and as a component in sauternes. Sauvignon Blanc has a crisp, grapey countenance and a hallmark fragrance of herbs and green garden fruits. It is rarely exposed to new oak ageing. The variety developed a cult following after its success in New Zealand in the 1990s where growers coaxed richness and pungency from the variety. It is an important variety in both South Africa and Chile, and can be found in California, Austria and elsewhere.
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