Loire Whites
by Madison H. Brown
2024 Val de Loire Sauvignon Blanc “Unique”
France | Loire
Artichoke season may have peaked, but take heart! On the central California coast, artichokes are harvested and trucked across the U.S. almost year-round, not just in the spring. And that’s lucky for us, because these delicious green thistles make for such satisfying summer grub: steamed or grilled and dipped in garlicky aïoli; sucking the soft flesh from each petal, then scooping out the feathery choke before devouring the tender heart; all washed down with refreshing gulps of Salvard’s zesty, citrus-blossom-scented Unique. Pure, perennial pleasure.
2022 Quincy “Château de Quincy”
France | Loire
Visiting Château de Quincy with colleagues last spring, I don’t recall what I expected, but I was delighted by what I found: a castle on sprawling grounds, a stone tower overlooking courtyard gardens, roses vining up the walls…It was perhaps our most idyllic, fairy-tale-like stop along the Loire wine route. Despite the potential for pomp, longtime Trotereau winemaker Pierre Ragon and his successor, Augustin Ponroy, are unassuming and down-to-earth—the mixed-generation duo chatted about rebuilding an old car together. In the estate’s humble cellar, they make this decidedly old-school take on Quincy—luscious and textural with notes of elderflower and lychee. It defies what’s expected of Sauvignon Blanc.
2023 Saumur Mousseux “Bulles de Roche”
France | Loire
Deeply passionate about his role as steward to his vineyards and wines, Thierry Germain radiates a sort of metaphysical magnetism. During our visit, I scribbled down a few quotes: “We are an antenna between the cosmic and the terrestrial.” “All of the vines are my son.” “Life is happening on the inside; what you see on the exterior is already dead.” As we tasted, I was transported back to philosophy lectures about immaterial soul and existence—I drink, therefore I am? Thierry’s sparkling Saumur is layered with a honeyed, nutty, brioche aroma that I jotted down as “yum baklava?!” A captivating bottling to stimulate the senses as you ponder the universe.