2022 ChevernyDomaine du Salvard
France | Loire
$22
Producers
Daniel Alibrand is among few producers still making Sauternes the old-fashioned way, making multiple passes through his vineyards to pick only the best grapes—sometimes berry by berry—most affected by botrytis. However, nature doesn’t allow this every year, as very specific conditions are conducive to the noble rot development required to make the most intense, concentrated wines.
In this sense, Esquisse is like a lightweight Sauternes: balanced, complex, and certainly sweet, but without the viscosity and distinctive smoky, earthy aromatics of grapes strongly impacted by botrytis. This refreshing dessert wine is therefore much more versatile at table—it works wonders as an apéritif or with cheeses—and can still be cellared for several years. This is a real treat from one of Sauternes’ last true artisans.
—Anthony Lynch
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2019 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Sémillon |
Appellation: | IGP Atlantique |
Country: | France |
Region: | Bordeaux |
Winemaker: | Valérie & Daniel Alibrand |
Vineyard: | Average 50 years, 7 ha |
Soil: | Gravel, Clay, Sand |
Farming: | Organic (practicing) |
Alcohol: | 13.5% |
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Often considered the wine capital of the world, Bordeaux and its wines have captured the minds, hearts, and wallets of wine drinkers for centuries. For many, the wines provide an inalienable benchmark against which all other wines are measured.
Bordeaux is divided into three winegrowing regions with the city that gives the region its name in the near geographical center. The “right bank,” or the area located east of the Dordogne River, produces wines that are predominantly Merlot with small amounts of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. The “left bank” is located to the west of the Garonne River and produces wines dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, with Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot.
The third region, Entre-Deux-Mers, lies between both rivers and produces white wines from Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, and Muscadelle. Though technically in the left bank, it is worth noting the appellation of Sauternes, which produces arguably the world’s most famous sweet wines from Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, and Muscadelle as well.
Though many top Bordeaux wines are sold en primeur (in advance of their bottling) and often through a middleman known as a negoçiant, Kermit has always preferred to purchase directly from the winemaker. For more than three decades he has sought out small producers, who make classic Bordeaux wines and are willing to play outside the negoçiant system. This ethic has led to longstanding relationships, excellent prices, and perhaps most important—wines of great value and longevity.
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Château Aney France | Bordeaux | Haut Médoc
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Château Belles-Graves France | Bordeaux | Lalande-de-Pomerol
Château Moulin Pey-Labrie France | Bordeaux | Canon-Fronsac
For the wines that I buy I insist that the winemaker leave them whole, intact. I go into the cellars now and select specific barrels or cuvées, and I request that they be bottled without stripping them with filters or other devices. This means that many of our wines will arrive with a smudge of sediment and will throw a more important deposit as time goes by, It also means the wine will taste better.
Drinking distilled spirits, beer, coolers, wine and other alcoholic beverages may increase cancer risk, and, during pregnancy, can cause birth defects. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/alcohol
Many food and beverage cans have linings containing bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical known to cause harm to the female reproductive system. Jar lids and bottle caps may also contain BPA. You can be exposed to BPA when you consume foods or beverages packaged in these containers. For more information, go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/bpa