Domaine Delaporte Sancerre Chavignol Blanc 2023

Domaine Delaporte is based in Chavignol, one of the villages authorised to use the Sancerre name, in the Loire Valley of central France. The estate has its roots among Chavignol's finest slopes, including Les Monts Damnés. Sancerre is built on Sauvignon Blanc, and here it grows on Kimmeridgian soils of clay and crushed seashell limestone. That calcareous base, together with the cool continental climate and the steep aspect of the Chavignol slopes, gives the wine its bright acidity and the flinty minerality typical of the appellation. The grapes are fermented cool to hold the aromatics, and the wine is then aged on its fine lees. That lees contact releases mannoproteins that round out the texture and add a savoury depth, while no oak is used so the fruit and the stony character stay clean and clear. The colour is pale with green highlights. The nose is intense and aromatic, with lemon and white flowers over a green, thyme-like note and a smoky, flinty edge. The palate is dry and refreshing, with green apple acidity, citrus peel and a saline, mineral finish. Serve at 8 to 10 degrees.