A Game Changing White

Many of you know Kevin and I are on opposite sides of the fence with regard to Sauvignon Blanc. Kevin is on the side of "love it!" while I often shy away from it in favor of quirky indigenous white wines from Italy.

However, if we are both going to drink a Sauvignon Blanc, we can agree on one thing. It's going to be a Sancerre or Pouilly-Fumé from the Loire Valley in France. Tasty as these may be, both of these appellations have an expensive price tag associated with them, so we really wouldn't call either of them an everyday wine.

Forget all that nonsense. Today we have a game changer.

First of all, the wine we're about to share with you is imported by Kermit Lynch. Kermit specializes in authentic, small production wines of an artisanal nature which have minimal human intervention. The hallmark of his wines include features such as: hand-harvested and hand-sorted grapes (no brutish machines please), the use of indigenous native yeasts (ditch the test tubes and designer yeasts), limited yields (more expensive to produce, but higher quality) and traditional, time-honored vinifications (get lost micro-oxygenation!).

We didn't want to leave the vibrant, mineral-laden region of the Loire Valley, so we dug deep to explore a lesser known appellation in search of something great. Forget the posh and snooty appellations. It's time to get down with Reuilly.

Domaine de Reuilly "Pierres Plates" Reuilly 2010

Reuilly sits quietly in Sauvignon Blanc territory in an ancient winemaking village which today has only about 300 acres in vines. This eastern section of the Loire Valley is experiencing a bit of a renaissance. That is, if you know where to look.

Denis Jamain is the winemaker who farms a total of 17 hectares in the heart of Reuilly. Of these, eleven are planted to Sauvignon Blanc, four to Pinot Noir, and only two to Pinot Gris which is used to make his superb and distinctive Reuilly rosé (due to arrive next month).

The soils here are rich, resting on prized Kimmeridgian limestone, a geological chain which connects the Loire Valley with Chablis in Burgundy. This limestone is valued for its high content of marine and shell fossils dating back 150 million years to the Jurassic period. These minerals are without equal for producing some of the most beautiful white wines in France.

Jamain's bottling, Domaine de Reuilly, is from a specific vineyard with Chablis-like soil embedded with chalk, fossils and sea shells. Imagine a Sancerre grown in the cold climate of Chablis and the picture of this wine's characteristics will become crystal clear.

The fruit is lively, with white flower perfume, citrus and delightful minerality. This wine has finesse and precision. The first impression on the palate is of a fresh and bright Sancerre-like Sauvignon Blanc, but then a firm stoniness emerges to give it both weight and depth.

"Let's call it Terroir to the Rescue, because a wine with nothing but pure fruit seems banal."-Kermit Lynch

"From one of his prime Kimmeridgian sites - and one whose soil boasts the highest active lime - Jamain's 2010 Reuilly Pierres Plates is scented - and then floods the mouth - with diverse, juicy citrus, accents of pip, crushed stone, hints of petrol, and salt engendering in a dynamic and saliva-inducing exchange. This sleekly-textured and excellent value Sauvignon finishes with refreshing as well as intriguing length, and ought to perform well for another 2-3 years." (Wine Advocate)

Wine Advocate: 90 points

Enjoy this special wine for $19.99/bottle or $191.90/12 pack case ($15.99/bottle) or just $15.99/bottle in a mixed case of wine.

P.S.

A Rare Treat for Olive Oil Lovers!!!

We're thrilled to announce the arrival of two single vineyard olive oils from the cult winemaker Arianna Occhipinti in Sicily. We opened the single vineyard Gheta on Sunday night to serve with locally hand-harvested watercress and a little verjus and we were absolutely seduced by the olive oil's intense aromas and flavors. Both the Gheta and the Pantarei sell for $24.99/500 ml bottle. Very limited production. As hard-core olive oil fans, we thoroughly endorse these beauties!

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