Ladoucette Pouilly-Fumé Sauvignon Blanc
Touraine, France
Vintage:2015 (Current)
2016 (Current) | 2017 (Pending)
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Reviews
Wine Review Online
92 Points
August 28, 2018, Mary Ewing-Mulligan
“The most impressive characteristics of the 2015 Ladoucette Pouilly-Fumé are its intense flavor coupled with tensile acidity and richness of texture. The wine’s aromas and flavors suggest citrus (lime, grapefruit, lemon) and citrus skin as well as green apple and fresh herbs. Tasting a Pouilly-Fumé, of course, I look for smokiness or gunpowder complexities; those aromas/ flavors are not evident in this wine at this stage, but the wine clearly has an earthy, mineral note in its flavor as well as a tactile character that I might describe as stony or chalky. The wine’s flavors show not only intensity but also purity and terrific concentration. The wine is bone dry but its concentration of fruit brings richness and weight that distract from the dryness, even as high acidity emphasizes it. The structural dynamic that results is so fascinating that I can hold the wine in my mouth for dozens of seconds, sensing first the verticality of the acidity and then the lateral sensation of concentration, weight, and the rich, oily texture, and finally the interplay of the two forces. Even when you drink the wine in a normal way, you will probably notice how balanced it is, and how intricately built.”
Overview
Purchased by the Comte Lafond, an ancestor of the current owner, Baron Patrick de Ladoucette, Château du Nozet and its surrounding vineyards have a reputation for producing the finest Pouilly-Fumé. The vineyards are in Pouilly-Fumé Contrôlée, which includes Pouilly-Sur-Loire, Saint-Andelin and Tracy at the eastern end of the Loire Valley (including the vineyard of the Château du Nozet estate). Both clay and limestone (Kimmeridgian marnes on fossilized limestone) influence the delicate characteristics in Ladoucette Pouilly-Fume.
Winemaking
Destemming before pressing. Vinification by gravity. Eighty percent natural juices, 20 percent from pressing. Thermo-controlled fermentation at 60 degrees Fahrenheit in stainless-steel tanks for six to eight weeks, before maturing from three to six months on natural lees. The wine is blended seven to eight months after harvesting and stored in glass-tiled tanks. No wood is used in the vinification process in order to preserve the freshness and full flavor of the Sauvignon Blanc grape.
Tasting Notes
Pale golden-green in color. The nose develops a natural range of subtle floral and earthy green plant aromas such as acacia, ferns, peppermint and white nettles. Notes of stony minerals and lemon give the wine a beautiful structure balanced by a fruity roundness, with a finish marked by hints of citrus fruits.
Technical Information
Varietals: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Soil Composition: Clay and limestone (Kimmeridgian marnes on fossilized limestone)
Suggested Retail Price: $44.99