Touraine Sauvignon Blanc Moulin des Aigremonts 2016

Ooooooh! We'll repeat that: Ooooooh! You'll know what we mean when you taste this. This is what the Loire is all about, at a price that doesn't induce a panic attack. Crisply aromatic, with a great balance of freshness, attractive clean gooseberry fruit and grassy aromas.

It's about as refreshing as sitting in a dell in the Lake District, whilst someone chucks buckets of ice-cold mountain water over you while singing Smiths songs in meandering alto. But nicer than that.

One of the central Loire’s last independent cooperative cellars, the Cellier de Beaujardin in the sleepy riverside town of Bléré, was created in 1925. Today the cellar has taken on the smaller neighbouring caves of Athée and of La Croix, giving a total 200 hectares of vines.
Unusually for a Loire co-operative, almost half the vines are now owned by the cave itself, guaranteeing supply and respect of better vineyard management techniques such as “enherbement” and the spring de-budding best suited to limiting yields. Combined with modern winemaking techniques, this commitment to sustainable viticulture clearly marks the cellar's approach to quality.

Gilles Bac is the deceptively bucolic director and winemaker of the cellar. Behind his easy-going appearance lies a commitment to making wines that the consumer will like - at prices they can afford to pay.

The winery itself is based around the original Alcatraz-style reinforced concrete structure – though the original vats are now all now epoxy lined and complemented with a battery of stainless steel, all with temperature control. Harvest is mainly by machine, seeking a balance of freshness and aromas. Pressing is by pneumatic press, separating the juice from different pressings and all the whites are cool-fermented, with good use of lees to add complexity – making classic ‘Loire’ sauvignons. No eggs or dairy are used in the winemaking.

This is a classic Sauvignon Blanc from the heart of the Loire Valley, it is crisply aromatic with a great balance of freshness and attractive clean gooseberry fruit and grassy aromas.