Sauvignon Blanc grape on a limestone terroir
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Dear wine lovers,
Situated on the right bank of the Loire river (actually in the Burgundy region), this eastern part of the Loire valley vineyard area offers us one of its best white wine treasures : Pouilly Fumé*.
Pouilly Fumé wines come only from Sauvignon blanc graped where it discovers here a very special terroir composed of clay and limestone and with a subsoil mainly composed of silica** and marls, allowing the grapes to increase in complexity and the wines to have this "Fumé" flavor that explains its name.
In tasting a Pouilly Fume, don't be surprised to experience lots of exotic fruits when drinking it young. At this point, drink these wines with oysters. With age, the fruit will then evolve into spices and smoked flavors that will pair perfectly with this lemon chicken cumin recipe***.
There are lots of vineyards that produce both Pouilly Fumé and Sancerre since these two appellations are closely related. Those that produce both and that you can count on are Joseph Mellot or Fournier Père et Fils. Domaine Chauveau, Domaine de Congy (available in New York / New Jersey and Portland) and the enigmatic Didier Dagueneau only produce Pouilly Fumé in a very "artisan" way.
And if you are in the area, don't forget to stop by the Château de Tracy and Château du Nozet which produce great wines and which remind us that the Loire Valley is the capital of castles in France.
Cheers,
Jean-Marc Espinasse
Any comments, edits are very welcome at [email protected]
See Pouilly Fumé on a French wine map (use enlarge icon to see it better)
PODCASTS :
Listen to this whole edition in French
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*Listen to "Pouilly Fumé"
**Silica = Silex
*** Lemon chicken cumin recipe:
Ingredients for 6 people :
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast.
Ground cumin.
3 garlic cloves, minced.
Zest and juice of 1 lime.
Zest and juice of 1 orange.
Salt.
Black pepper.
Olive oil.
Preparation :
Place the chicken, cumin, garlic, zest, and juice of the lime and orange in a large bowl and stir to combine.
Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 1/2 hour and not more than 1 hour.
Remove the chicken and discard the marinade. Sprinkle the chicken with the salt and pepper.
Grill over medium heat, 5-7 minutes per side.
Serve with rice.
If you wish to visit beautiful Loire castles with a book, here is my suggestion :
