2024 Joël Delauney Touraine Sauvignon Blanc

100% sustainable (uncertified) Sauvignon Blanc from  25 year old vines on clay and silex (slint) soils in the village of Pouillé, considered to one of the top in the Touraine. Fermented and aged simply in stainless steel. 30% of the blend sees skin contact to impoart texture. 12% alcohol.

Pale lemon in color with a powerful, expressive and complex nose (exotic fruits, blackcurrant buds, grapefruit, peach) as well as some floral notes. Green apple and bruised pear mix with herbs, lemon blossom and lemon peel on the nose. The elegant palate leads into crushed stone and basks in minerality that is lemon-citrus dusted towards the finish. Pair with risotto, chicken Milanese and salmon-topped Caesar salad.

Thierry Delaunay has firmly established the estate he runs with his father in the forefront of this sprawling appellation. The property has been passed from father to son for 5 generations. In 1965, Joël Delaunay settled down and gives  the domain the name that we know today. He began marketing in bottles in the early 1970s and expanded  to retail and export sales in 1980. The village of Pouillé where he resides is home to several of the top Touraine growers and would seem to be exceptionally privileged, perhaps by dint of its relative elevation. His Sauvignon has developed a devoted following over the last few years for very good reason. What is truly impressive about Thierry is that he has greatly increased the size of his estate and production, but the average quality level of the wines has only gone up. He makes less red now than before, but what he makes is exemplary.