Pouilly-Fumé has not yet achieved the notoriety of neighboring Sancerre. However, since the turn of the recent century, this historic appellation has received much more attention, mainly because of the legendary, late Didier Dagueneau, who made wines that absolutely transcended the Sauvignon Blanc varietal.
I consider myself blessed to have had the opportunity to spend a day tasting with Didier before he passed away. I will never forget the exceptional potential of Sauvignon Blanc when sourced from the right sites (the soil is everything). Pouilly-Fumé, along with its neighbor across the river in Sancerre, delivers an unmatched expression of Sauvignon Blanc that the world strives to emulate, but never quite captures. 150 million years of unique geological history results in a mineral fingerprint unlike anything else on the globe, making this place truly inimitable. With layers of grapefruit, gooseberry, slight tropical notes, wild herbs and oyster shell minerality, this wine demands your attention. A lively, textbook example with savory depth and serious quality for the price, Jean Pabiot’s 2015 ‘Fine Caillottes,’ is a Sauvignon Blanc for the ages.
The 2015 Domaine des Fines Caillottes displays a light straw yellow core with heavy green reflections on the rim. Lively aromatics of white peach, passion fruit, gooseberry, grapefruit, a hint of guava, lemon blossom, honeysuckle and kaffir lime zest are wound around fresh notes of green herbs and cut grass over hints of oyster shells and crushed limestone. The palate reveals endless layers of concentrated flavors reminiscent of the nose and concludes with a lingering sense of place in the fine, broken-down stones and limestone minerality. Simply pull this wine from the refrigerator, decant for 30-45 minutes and serve in Bordeaux stems. Although this textbook Pouilly Fume will charm with salad, hors d'oeuvres or even mere oxygen, we recommend this classic Loire Valley fish recipe.