Skip to main content
Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant
Toggle Navigation Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant Your Cart

Cheverny Virtues

Cheverny Virtues

by Tom Wolf by Tom Wolf

Just Arrived: The 2021 Vintage from Domaine du Salvard Just Arrived: The 2021 Vintage from Domaine du Salvard

2021 Cheverny

2021 Cheverny

Domaine du Salvard   

Discount Eligible $22.00
SOLD OUT

“Cheverny is in the Touraine, in the Loire, in the country of those incredible chateaux. This is Sauvignon Blanc territory, unbeatable for its freshness, its floral and fruit bouquet, its zest and lightness. Nowhere else, even at Sancerre, will you find such a little jewel.” —Kermit Lynch, June 1997 Newsletter

While not untrue, calling Cheverny a value alternative to Sancerre would completely overlook the virtues unique to this appellation. It is a much zippier expression of Sauvignon Blanc compared to its famous neighbor, more citrusy than grassy. When Kermit introduced this wine in July 1993, he said, “Salvard makes the most drinkable, quaffable Sauvignon Blanc I have ever tasted.”
      Thierry and Emmanuel Delaille of Domaine du Salvard specialize in crisp, mouthwatering Sauvignon Blanc, but for this cuvée, they add a splash of Chardonnay, which brings complexity, flesh, and notes of Meyer lemon and orchard fruit. The base of Sauvignon Blanc, meanwhile, provides freshness and liveliness as well as its characteristic flavors of passion fruit and lime zest. The two grape varieties combine for outstanding versatility, such that this bottle will serve you well alongside all kinds of seasonal spring fare.

More from this Producer or Region

About The Region

Loire

map of 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

Discount Eligible $39.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $43.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $26.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $42.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $22.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $77.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $38.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $26.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $31.00
SOLD OUT
Discount Eligible $37.00
AT CART MAX
Old wine bottles

Let the brett nerds retire into protective bubbles, and whenever they thirst for wine it can be passed in to them through a sterile filter. Those of us on the outside can continue to enjoy complex, natural, living wines.

Inspiring Thirst, page 236