Domaine Patrick Vauvy, Sauvignon de Touraine, Loire, France, 2024

Producer Profile

Patrick Vauvy manages 30ha of vines, the majority planted with Sauvignon Blanc, on a domaine that has been in the hands of the Vauvy family for generations.

On taking over, Patrick brought new vision and a more experimental style to the Domaine, being often the last of his neighbours to harvest. Located above the banks of the Cher river, the soil is predominantly sand-based, giving the wines a fruit-driven, immediately appealing style.

Viticulture

Long pruning, using a spring debudding and a summer thinning to further control yields and ensure quality and ripeness at harvest. The young vines are harvested by hand and the rest mechanically. Patrick is always the last to harvest in the area in his quest to achieve a rich, ripe style.

Winemaking

The ripe grapes are gently pressed and the free run juice is allowed to settle for a period of around days. Around 15% of the wine spends 5 hours in contact with the skins. The fermentation starts naturally with indigenous yeasts and is temperature controlled to preserve the aromatics. The wine is then cold stabilised in the winter before bottling.

Tasting Note

Attractively aromatic, rich dry Sauvignon showing the fruit character of fully ripe grapes. Exotic fruits in abundance on the nose and just a hint of mint. On the pallet its fresh and tangy and the finish is fruity and moreish.

Food Matching

The obvious accompaniment to asparagus with hollandaise but should be tried with goats cheese and works well with tuna dishes.