Pabiot Pouilly-Fume Leon 2020

Recently, I tasted one of the best Sauvignon Blancs in recent memory. Not only that – but it’s something new and exciting, in a region that we rarely see: Pouilly-Fume. Unsurprisingly, this wine is and has been a by-the-glass staple at Gramercy Tavern. After being blown away by this wine, I can only assume that every single New York City Sommelier who gets to taste this one salivates over it and orders as much as they can, so I knew I had to act fast.

It turns out that exceptional Pouilly-Fumes at great prices that also happen to have 92-points from the world’s toughest critic are in extremely high demand. But luckily, when I tasted this new vintage two weeks ago, I bought every bottle I could for us – 10 cases of liquid gold.

Jonathan Didier Pabiot’s ‘Leon’ Pouilly Fume is an absolutely gorgeous white wine that is still in its infancy. That’s what’s so amazing. It’s a wine that can be aged for years that is still a teeny bit tight and yet it already shows flashes of sheer brilliance.

With the holy trinity of soil types at his disposal (Kimmeridigian marl, chalky Porlandian, and clay-silex on flint), the ‘Leon’ Pouilly-Fume is grown off some of the very best dirt in France. This Cuvee (named for Pabiot’s son) is made from the old-vines grown on terre blanche terraces overlooking the Loire. The Wine Advocate in their rave 92-point review called it, “a rich and round, very elegant and aromatic Pouilly-Fume with good mineral and fruity freshness and a long, intense and tensioned finish that reveals fine tannins and crisp grip.” They are right on the money.