Domaine de Villargeau Coteaux du Giennois Blanc 2020

The small appellation of Côteaux du Giennois produces tiny quantities of wine with its 200 hectares of clay-limestone terrain extending across 50 kilometers just north of Pouilly-Fumé and directly across the Loire River from Sancerre.

While the appellation produces tiny quantities of wine, it stretches 50 kilometers in length with small parcels spread over 200 hectares of clay-limestone and silex dominant terrain. In the Giennois, Sauvignon Blanc reigns supreme and shares some of the the clean, flinty, mineral characteristics of nearby Pouilly-Fumé.

This is the absolutely perfect location for winemakers looking to grow Sauvignon Blanc – with all the limestone, silex, clay mix you could dream of, imparting all kinds of gorgeous flinty, mineral notes. And for consumers, it’s the ultimate package – a few meters in any direction, and the price tag would instantly double – instead it’s an insane value that sticks out like a sore thumb.