2023 Domaine Sylvain Bailly, Sancerre Blanc “Terroirs” Loire Valley, France.
Super bright, steely and crystalline pure this Bailly Terroirs Sancerre shows off loads of gooseberry, lemon/lime, tart white peach and muskmelon fruits along with zingy and saline rich acidity, wet stone, tangy herbs and a lingering pithy note. Delightfully fresh, with subtle aromatics and vivid in the glass, begging for some briny shellfish, creamy cheese and or sunny day, this wine delivers everything you’d want of Sauvignon Blanc and is extremely quaffable, but seriously focused and terroir driven. Domaine Sylvain Bailly’s terroirs, according to their importer Beaune Imports, have sustainably farmed vines and composed of roughly 60% chalky soils and 40% clay-based soils, which adds to the balance and complexity in the wine, as seen here. These days, with so many generic and or boring whites, Bailly is a top option in this price point, it is happy with being an aperitif and or with a full meal, drink over the next couple years.
The Domaine Sylvain Bailly Sancerre estate, which has roots that go back to around 1700, has close to 12 hectares and is made up of 23 independent parcels, with most of their vineyards located near to the small village of Bué with mostly Sauvignon Blanc vines in both Sancerre AOC and the near by Quincy AOC. Today Jacques Bailly, son of Sylvain Bailly, runs the estate with the help of daughter Sonia, who joined the domaine as winemaker in 2007. For the Terroirs cuvée Bailly employes all inox fermentation and aging here to highlight purity and deliver the clear expression of the chalky limestone and capturing all the energy and every fresh detail of the Sauvignon Blanc grapes grown in this part of the Loire Valley. This is a wine that I always feel gives a perfect reflection of vintage and is wonderfully quaffable and guilt free. This estate is a reliable go to for quality and a little bit extra dimension, whether it’s this bottling of Sancerre or their under the radar Quincy, which I like almost as much and I highly recommend them.
($30 Est.) 92 Points, grapelive