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French Winophiles Highlight Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley and Beyond
The most up-to-date research indicates the Loire Valley as the ancestral home of Sauvignon Blanc. Our French Winophiles are well acquainted with the towns of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé as excellent sources for wines made from the grape. Of course, Sauvignon Blanc has found it’s way all over the world and this month we are celebrating the grape with a free-for-all study of Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley and all over France. Take a look at the bottom of this post to links to fellow Winophiles writers’ finds!

The Tiny Saint-Bris Appellation in Bourgogne, near Chablis
The village of Saint-Bris-le-Vineux is unique in the Bourgogne region as winegrowers there have traditionally grown and vinified Sauvignon Blanc instead of the more familiar Chardonnay and even Aligoté. The limestone soils are definitely more Chablisien in character as compared to their cousins over in the Loire valley, and many of the vineyards face north, allowing the grapes to hang for a long time to develop their flavors.

Alice & Olivier de Moor, Winegrowers in Chablis
Alice & Olivier de Moor have always been leaders in adopting lower intervention practices in Chablis. They have been working organically since 2005. They have always hand harvested their grapes, not machine harvest as is typical in Chablis. Their winery operates in gravity fed fashion and they do not use any sulfur in the winery until bottling. They use ambient yeasts in fermenting their wines and they do not fine or filter unless a wine has enough residual sugar to merit filtering. The majority of their wines are Chablis appellation as well as some Aligoté, plus their single bottling of Sauvignon Blanc.

Alice et Olivier de Moor “Sans Bruit” Vin de France 2019 ($43 at Henry and Son) 15%abv (!)
With their minimal intervention approach, the Sauvignon Blance is allowed to go through malolactic transformation and is aged on its lees. In many years, the wine often falls outside what the local Saint Bris rules allow, so the de Moors have elected to declassify it to Vin de France. The name “Sans Bruit” is a light-hearted approach to a similar sounding name without stepping on AOC toes.
Eye: Pale lemon
Nose: Medium plus intensity aromas of jasmine, apple blossom, yellow apple, lemon, cream, hay, a bit of alcoholic heat
Mouth: Dry, high acidity, medium plus body with a creamy texture, high alcohol, medium plus intensity, medium plus finish. Flavors follow the nose highlighted by lemons, cream, hay
Observations: Delicious and refreshing, it seems quite different from its cousin Sauvignon Blancs from the Loire Valley. No matter, enjoy it for its own merits!

Alice et Olivier de Moor “Sans Bruit” with a refreshing Summer Dinner Salad
Our salad was a “raid-the-refrigerator” affair, luckily I had been to the farmers market the weekend before. The salad is built on a bed of arugula with fresh local sweet peas, strawberries, goat cheese and a drizzle of (non-local) balsamic vinegar. While not a typical Sauvignon Blanc, the Sans Bruit paired beautifully with the fresh green vegetables and the goat cheese.

French Winophiles Highlight Sauvignon Blanc from All Over
Take a look below at our French Winophiles discoveries from the Loire Valley and all over France. Want to hear more? Join our chat on Twitter, Saturday July 16 at 10-11am CDT. Just search for us at the #Winophiles hashtag. See you there!

• Camilla is making Vietnamese Summer Rolls with a Sauvignon Blanc from the Pays de la Loire at Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Wendy is whipping up a Shrimp Bisque and a Sauvignon Blanc from Bordeaux at A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Robin is pouring a Sauvignon Blanc from the small hamlet of Chavignol in Sancerre at Crushed Grape Chronicles
• Jane is Tasting Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc Paired with Smoked Salmon Crostini at Always Ravenous
• Jeff is preparing a Surprise! Sauvignon Blanc from Bourgogne at Food Wine Click!
• Gwendolyn is Comparing 2 French Sauvignon Blanc: Loire vs Bordeaux with Grilled Pesto Stuffed Chicken at Wine Predator
• Katrina is toasting to Let’s Give Some Love to French Sauvignon Blanc… From Bordeaux at Corkscrew Concierge
• Linda is writing about Holy Snails! A Summer Sauv Blanc worth sipping slowly at My Full Wine Glass
• Deanna is frying Sole Meuniere Paired with Sancerre at Wineivore