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2021 Val de Loire Sauvignon Blanc “Unique”
Domaine du Salvard
As we enter my favorite time of the year to eat oysters, I’m filling my fridge with more and more crisp, zesty whites like this Sauvignon Blanc from Domaine du Salvard. West of Sancerre in the Loire Valley, the Delaille brothers work wonders in some of the region’s unsung vineyard land, turning out pure, delicious, and versatile blancs that go as well with fresh seafood as they do with salads or a cheese board.
—Tom Wolf
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2021 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Sauvignon Blanc |
Appellation: | Val de Loire IGP |
Country: | France |
Region: | Loire |
Producer: | Domaine du Salvard |
Winemaker: | Emmanuel & Thierry Delaille |
Vineyard: | 22 years, 8 ha |
Soil: | Clay, Sand |
Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
Alcohol: | 12% |
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About The Producer
Domaine du Salvard
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 Kimmeridgian 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.
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2024 Bourgueil Rosé “La Ritournelle”
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2019 Bourgueil “Les Perrières”
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2021 Vin de France Rosé Grolleau/Cabernet Franc “Les Arceaux”
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2015 Chinon “Les Petites Roches” MAGNUM
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2021 Chinon “La Croix Boissée”
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Where the newsletter started

Where the newsletter started
Every three or four months I would send my clients a cheaply made list of my inventory, but it began to dawn on me that business did not pick up afterwards. It occurred to me that my clientele might not know what Château Grillet is, either. One month in 1974 I had an especially esoteric collection of wines arriving, so I decided to put a short explanation about each wine into my price list, to try and let my clients know what to expect when they uncorked a bottle. The day after I mailed that brochure, people showed up at the shop, and that is how these little propaganda pieces for fine wine were born.—Kermit Lynch