WTN: Coteaux du Giennois Sauvignon Blanc

If you’re a lover of Sauvignon Blanc, here’s a great wine for you to try:

Hubert Veneau Domaine des Ormousseaux Côteaux du Giennois 2010

You will be forgiven if you have no idea what the Côteaux du Giennois is---few people do outside the Loire Valley Region, and those few are usually dedicated winegeeks. Suffice to say it is an area in the western part of the Loire, tucked up close to the Massif Central mountain range, graced with silicaeous/calcareous (that means limestone and flint) soils that tend to produce remarkably high acid and mineral-laden Sauvignon Blanc wines.

Maybe you’ve heard of Pouilly-Fumé? Domaine Hubert Veneau also has one of those, from the same area, across the river from the more celebrated Sancerre/Chavignol.

All that information is nice to know, but not need to know. What is need to know, though, is the Veneau Domaine des Ormousseaux is an astonishingly impressive 100% Sauvignon Blanc, lean and crisp and assertive, with the aromas of freshly cut grass drenched in lemon juice. The wine is bracing and piquant in the mouth, with autonomic saliva-inducing response from the oyster-shell minerality (there’s that limestone soil!) and a clean line of flavor that persists and lingers until…well, until you take the next sip.

The wine is eminently capable of handling a wine range of cheeses, even one like the rich l’Affinoise, and was the perfect counterpoint to a dish of classic Lyonnaise Onion Tart unctuous with caramelized onions in a flaky crust.

Hoke, some time ago (11 years to be precise), my family did a house exchange with a family who lived in a little village just outside Gien, the very pretty town from which Côteaux du Giennois gets its name. I asked them and their neighbors about wines from the appellation and they were kind of dismissive -- they typically drank Sancerre and Menetou-Salon (both whites and reds). Even in the wine shops around town, Coteaux du Giennois were kind of hard to find. So my sense was that even in the Loire Valley, it doesn't get much respect. That said, I've had some Giennois wines I've liked very much, including some reds which are typically blends of Pinot Noir and Gamay. And they're typically cheaper than their brethren a 1/2 hour down the road.

Hoke, some time ago (11 years to be precise), my family did a house exchange with a family who lived in a little village just outside Gien, the very pretty town from which Côteaux du Giennois gets its name. I asked them and their neighbors about wines from the appellation and they were kind of dismissive -- they typically drank Sancerre and Menetou-Salon (both whites and reds). Even in the wine shops around town, Coteaux du Giennois were kind of hard to find. So my sense was that even in the Loire Valley, it doesn't get much respect. That said, I've had some Giennois wines I've liked very much, including some reds which are typically blends of Pinot Noir and Gamay. And they're typically cheaper than their brethren a 1/2 hour down the road.

Bruce, that had been my feeling about the Giennois wines, and I doubt I would have bought a bottle of this had I seen it on the local retail shelf. We were in our favorite local restaurant, St. Jack, a French-style bistro and this was one of the by the glass selections. Since I have enormous respect for the skills of the manager/sommelier, Joel, I thought it would be fine. When my wife sniffed at, then reared her head back and looked at it in something approaching wonder, I figured we had a winner. And we did. It was thoroughly enjoyable with the entire meal, and she wanted me to find out how much it cost and where she could get some for home supplies.

I learned that Veneau, a respected maker of Pouilly-Fume, also produces this, and it should be a pretty good staple for us in future.