Domaine Ricard Touraine Sauvignon Pierre a Feu 2020

With fingers crossed, I am already planning my first trip back to France since 2019. One of my first stops is sure to be at Vincent Ricard to see the jolliest guy in the Touraine. Aside from being a brilliant and passionate winegrower, he’s got an enthusiasm for life, laughing and great food that is second to none.

On my last trip there, that enthusiasm had me holding on for dear life in the back of his Citroën Jumpy as he drove way too fast up a winding dirt road with only one hand casually on the wheel as he turned to excitedly explain to me the cultivation of a certain giant pile of manure. Le merde magique…

Just beyond that pile of magic organic do-do that fertilizes all of the Ricard vineyards, lies a small parcel of old Sauvignon Blanc vines rooted in the rare silex soils more commonly found in Sancerre or Pouilly Fume. The flinty soil lends a more elegant character to the Sauvignon, with a silky, transparent quality that highlights savory and mineral notes rarely found in wine at this price.