Unfiltered Wine Club, August 2024

"Sauvignon Blanc is one of those polarizing wine grapes. Like Chardonnay, people tend to either love it or despise it (it’s my job to break people free of those terribly confining boxes). Sauv Blancs tend to be grassy, laser sharp, and punchy, and many people don’t realize that their beloved Sancerre is in fact Sauvignon Blanc, mainly because the profile is so much softer. Hailing from the Loire Valley, France, the three major soil types in Sancerre (Silex, Terre Blanche, and Caillotes) are to thank for that unique style (and leap in quality and price), and a more advance wine enthusiast can tell which soil type the grapes come from when tasting the wine. The Sauvignon Blanc grapes in Les Renarderies are sourced from all three soil types, and the three wines are kept separate during fermentation and blended afterwards. The final blend then rests for 6-10 months on its fine lees before bottling. The lees aging creates finesse and a supple texture, but the grapefruit, floral, and tropical notes still shine brightly through. I took this wine home and drank it with a vegetable pasta with ripe grape tomatoes and shaved Romano cheese and is SANG."