2020 Domaine S et JP Agisson, Pouilly-Fume “La Belle Endormie” Loire Valley, France.
The elegant and mineral driven 2020 Domaine S et JP Agisson, Pouilly-Fume, which is the inaugural vintage of “La Belle Endormie,” which means Sleeping Beauty, highlighting the winemaker’s belief that Pouilly-Fume is overlooked, but offers some of the most outstanding wines in the Loire, and this one just might prove that. This medium bodied and delicately complex 100% Sauvignon Blanc shows off layers of crisp lemon/lime, white peach, quince and gooseberry fruits, along with wet chalk, steely/flinty mineral, white flowers, ginger spice, oyster shell soft leesy notes and smooth acidity. The grapes come from a tiny plot of organically farmed vines that was purchased in 2019, with this 35-year-old vineyard being located in Tracy-sur-Loire and the “Les Champs Billards” parcel here has a distinctive terroir with large pebbles over ancient limestone soils. This well crafted Sauvignon Blanc is really seductive, restrained with subtle concentration and will drink nicely for a decade or so.
Domaine S et JP Agisson’s winemaker Jean-Philippe Agisson, who worked as the cellar master at Domaine de la Moussière, under Alphonse Mellot and the iconic Domaine Didier Dagueneau in the past, is considered one of the big talents in the Loire Valley, focused on dry Sauvignon Blanc wines, in particular the Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume regions. Jean-Philippe still works for Dagueneau, under Didier’s son Louis-Benjamin, and only makes a small amount of wine under his own label, including this one, plus a Sancerre. Jean-Philippe tends his vines organically, employing biodynamic practices and treatments, he harvests all by hand, does a whole cluster direct press, and the wines see aging on lees in older neutral French oak barrels. The wines are also bottled unfined and unfiltered, all with the mission to promote terroir, authentic flavors and provide textural pleasure, while capturing loads of energy, as seen here. Agisson’s wine is super rare and limited with US importer Martine’s Wines getting a scarce few bottles, but they are certainly worth chasing down.
($55 Est.) 94 Points, grapelive