Notify me
2018 Val de Loire Blanc “Fié Gris”
Éric Chevalier![- Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant](https://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2018-Val-de-Loire-emBlancem-Fi-Gris-product-image-3980-medium.jpg)
Fié Gris, aka Sauvignon Gris, once thrived in the Loire Valley and Bordelais before falling out of favor due to its painfully low yields and the marketability of its lighter-hued sibling, Sauvignon Blanc. In Muscadet country, Éric Chevalier crafts one of the rare remaining varietal bottlings of this intriguing cultivar. His greets the palate with a bracing impression of lime flecked with shards of crushed stone. It feels luscious and exotic yet incredibly lively, like if a papaya got struck by lightning. Traditionally served with fish tacos (KLWM staff tradition, that is).
—Anthony Lynch
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2018 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Sauvignon Gris |
Appellation: | Vin de Pays du Val de Loire |
Country: | France |
Region: | Loire |
Producer: | Éric Chevalier |
Winemaker: | Éric Chevalier |
Vineyard: | 20 years old, 2.5 ha |
Soil: | Gravel, silt/sand |
Aging: | Wines age on the lees for 8-10 months |
Farming: | Organic (practicing) |
Alcohol: | 13.5% |
More from this Producer or Region
![2022 Chardonnay Eric Chevalier](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2022-Chardonnay-product-image-8435-medium.jpg)
2022 Chardonnay
France | Loire
Some wines deliver well beyond expectations—this is one of them.
![2023 Cheverny Domaine du Salvard](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2023-Cheverny-product-image-9149-medium.jpg)
2023 Cheverny
France | Loire
Sauvignon and a splash of Chardonnay: the epitome of minerally Loire refreshment
![2022 Muscadet Côtes de Grand Lieu sur lie “La Nöe” Éric Chevalier](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2022-Muscadet-Ctes-de-Grand-Lieu-sur-lie-La-Ne-product-image-8436-medium.jpg)
2022 Muscadet Côtes de Grand Lieu sur lie “La Nöe”
France | Loire
At first, it is streamlined, saline, and full of lemon. Then the granite terroir kicks in...
![2022 Muscadet “Le Clos de la Butte” Eric Chevalier](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2022-Muscadet-Ctes-de-Grand-Lieu-Sur-Lie-Le-Clos-de-la-Butte-product-image-8434-medium.jpg)
2022 Muscadet “Le Clos de la Butte”
France | Loire
This exquisite Muscadet is a perfect reflection of where it originates, as if it’s been sculpted by winds off the ocean and infused with hints of sea salt in the air.
![2021 Val de Loire <i>Blanc</i> “Cirrus” Éric Chevalier](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2021-Val-de-Loire-Cirrus-product-image-8437-medium.jpg)
2021 Val de Loire Blanc “Cirrus”
France | Loire
This bottling takes a playful approach to the rare Fié Gris grape with a skin maceration that teases out depth to its unique aromatic qualities.
![2022 Saumur Champigny “Cuvée Domaine” Domaine des Roches Neuves](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2022-Saumur-Champigny-Cuve-Domaine-product-image-8798-medium.jpg)
2022 Saumur Champigny “Cuvée Domaine”
France | Loire
This cuvée delivers trademark elegance and notes of blackberries, forest, and graphite.
![2018 Sancerre “Cuvée Ortus” Hippolyte Reverdy](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2018-Sancerre-Cuve-Ortus-product-image-9517-medium.jpg)
2018 Sancerre “Cuvée Ortus”
France | Loire
The rarest of the Reverdy cuvées, Ortus was really an invention at the urging of Kermit, who has a fondness for Sauvignon with full malolactic fermentation, aged in wood, bottled unfiltered, generally treated like a white Burgundy.
![2021 Saumur <em>Blanc</em> “L’Insolite” Thierry Germain](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2021-Saumur-emBlancem-LInsolite-product-image-7992-medium.jpg)
2021 Saumur Blanc “L’Insolite”
France | Loire
This blanc is chiseled and electric and boasts notes of citrus, herbs, and stones that would beautifully complement pan-fried sea bass or shrimp tacos.
![2023 Menetou-Salon <i>Blanc</i> “Le Prieuré” Prieuré de Saint Céols](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2023-MenetouSalon-iBlanci-Le-Prieur-product-image-9552-medium.jpg)
2023 Menetou-Salon Blanc “Le Prieuré”
France | Loire
Farmed organically and fermented with native yeasts, it is a delicious and stimulating Loire white that provides guaranteed refreshment and pairs wonderfully with all sorts of salads and seafood.
![2022 Chinon <i>Blanc</i> Bernard Baudry](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2022-Chinon-iBlanci-product-image-8324-medium.jpg)
2022 Chinon Blanc
France | Loire
A rare Chenin Blanc from the land of Cabernet Franc. Ultra fresh and brimming with citrus blossom and orchard fruit notes, it has a saline, mineral finish that leaves my palate simultaneously satisfied and begging for more. Try it with fresh trout, grilled whole topped with chimichurri or smoked and tossed into a Niçoise salad.
![Producer - Éric Chevalier Grapes!](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/content_producers/245-1-870742.jpg)
About The Producer
Éric Chevalier
Éric Chevalier is a rising star in the Nantais of the Loire Valley. For ten years, he sourced fruit for a large négociant in the Touraine. In 2005, he returned to his hometown of Saint-Philbert de Grandlieu and ended up taking over the family domaine, Domaine de l’Aujardière. His father, a talented vigneron well-known as a high-quality source of bulk wine, had stopped working the vineyards and the vines were going to have to be pulled up and replanted or sold. Éric was anything but enthusiastic. Little by little his passion grew, and today he is proud to be the 4th generation to farm the domaine. Éric sustainably farms 25 hectares of vines, producing wines of great character and finesse. He found his future in his family’s past.
About The Region
Loire
The defining feature of the Loire Valley, not surprisingly, is the Loire River. As the longest river in France, spanning more than 600 miles, this river connects seemingly disparate wine regions. Why else would Sancerre, with its Kimmeridgian limestone terroir be connected to Muscadet, an appellation that is 250 miles away?
Secondary in relevance to the historical, climatic, environmental, and cultural importance of the river are the wines and châteaux of the Jardin de la France. The kings and nobility of France built many hundreds of châteaux in the Loire but wine preceded the arrival of the noblesse and has since out-lived them as well.
Diversity abounds in the Loire. The aforementioned Kimmderidgian limestone of Sancerre is also found in Chablis. Chinon, Bourgueil, and Saumur boast the presence of tuffeau, a type of limestone unique to the Loire that has a yellowish tinge and a chalky texture. Savennières has schist, while Muscadet has volcanic, granite, and serpentinite based soils. In addition to geologic diversity, many, grape varieties are grown there too: Cabernet Franc, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Melon de Bourgogne are most prevalent, but (to name a few) Pinot Gris, Grolleau, Pinot Noir, Pineau d’Aunis, and Folle Blanche are also planted. These myriad of viticultural influences leads to the high quality production of every type of wine: red, white, rosé, sparkling, and dessert.
Like the Rhône and Provence, some of Kermit’s first imports came from the Loire, most notably the wines of Charles Joguet and Château d’Epiré—two producers who are featured in Kermit’s book Adventures on the Wine Route and with whom we still work today.
More from Loire or France
2023 Sancerre
Hippolyte Reverdy France | Loire
2022 Jasnières “Cuvée Sainte Narcisse”
Pascal Janvier France | Loire
2019 Bourgueil “Clos Sénéchal”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2020 Chinon “La Croix Boissée”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2022 Sancerre Rouge
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2020 Saumur Blanc “L’Échelier”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2020 Chinon “Le Clos Guillot”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2020 Vin de France Rosé Grolleau/Cabernet Franc “Les Arceaux”
Grange Saint-Sauveur France | Loire
2022 Savennières “Cuvée Spéciale”
Château d'Epiré France | Loire
2021 Val de Loire Blanc “Cirrus”
Éric Chevalier France | Loire
2022 Quincy “Vieilles Vignes”
Domaine Trotereau France | Loire
2021 Chinon “Cuvée Terroir”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2023 Sancerre
Hippolyte Reverdy France | Loire
2022 Jasnières “Cuvée Sainte Narcisse”
Pascal Janvier France | Loire
2019 Bourgueil “Clos Sénéchal”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2020 Chinon “La Croix Boissée”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2022 Sancerre Rouge
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2020 Saumur Blanc “L’Échelier”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2020 Chinon “Le Clos Guillot”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2020 Vin de France Rosé Grolleau/Cabernet Franc “Les Arceaux”
Grange Saint-Sauveur France | Loire
2022 Savennières “Cuvée Spéciale”
Château d'Epiré France | Loire
2021 Val de Loire Blanc “Cirrus”
Éric Chevalier France | Loire
2022 Quincy “Vieilles Vignes”
Domaine Trotereau France | Loire
2021 Chinon “Cuvée Terroir”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
Kermit once said...
![Inspiring Thirst](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/content/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-Kermit-once-said-image_img_1-13430-medium.jpeg)
Kermit once said...
I want you to realize once and for all: Even the winemaker does not know what aging is going to do to a new vintage; Robert Parker does not know; I do not know. We all make educated (hopefully) guesses about what the future will bring, but guesses they are. And one of the pleasures of a wine cellar is the opportunity it provides for you to witness the evolution of your various selections. Living wines have ups and downs just as people do, periods of glory and dog days, too. If wine did not remind me of real life, I would not care about it so much.
Inspiring Thirst, page 171