Barc & Vallèe - 'L'eclatante' - Sauvignon Blanc, Touraine, Loire Valley, France (2023)

From 20-year-old parcels on sandy loam soil. The wine is matured on lees in stainless steel then aged 6 months before bottling. 

Francois-Xavier Barc was formerly director and winemaker at Charles Joguet in Chinon, and helped usher in a new golden age in the early 2000's at this venerable domaine. In 2010, he co-founded Complices de Loire with friend Gerard Vallee, a 4th generation vigneron in St Nicolas de Bourgueil and brother of Chateau Yvonne proprietor Mathieu Vallee. 

They conceived of Complices de Loire as a boutique negociant, using their extensive network of relationships in the region to establish long term contracts on choice parcels from Saumur to Sancerre, farming sustainably, at lower yields. Since then, they have also acquired 28 hectares of their own vineyards, which are farmed organically.