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Xavier Frissant, Touraine Fié Gris “Les Roses Du Clos”

Loire Valley, France 2016 (750mL)
$25.00
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Xavier Frissant, Touraine Fié Gris “Les Roses Du Clos”

I go to great lengths to find the truest expressions of classic grape varieties, but I’m always on the hunt for something new, groundbreaking, and exciting. Leading up to summer, I had my sights set on discovering something outside-the-box and fun for warm-weather sipping.
I found a real gem from France’s Loire Valley, quite hidden within the Touraine AOC. If you’re in love with the crisp, bone-dry, mineral-driven whites of the Loire, but you also like a little more body and texture, today’s wine from the Fié Gris grape is one to add to your “to do” list. It’s something completely different, and yet, not so far out of the mainstream: Fié Gris (a.k.a. Sauvignon Gris) is a “distant cousin” of Sauvignon Blanc, and a number of years ago Xavier Frissant, an eight-generation vigneron, discovered an old strain in his vineyard in Touraine. Once thought to have been extinct, the variety produces a fleshier, headily floral version of Sauvignon Blanc, but Frissant takes it the extra mile: barrel fermentation and aging on its fine lees in oak until the spring. With a subtle orange-pink hue, the wine is profoundly aromatic, with a round and rich palate feel checked by bright, citrusy acidity—super delicious and your new best friend for herb- and lemon-drenched seafood off the grill. Every once in a while, we implore our subscribers to step out of their comfort zones and try something new. Today is one of those days, and it’s not just about daring to be different—it’s about recognizing and respecting exceptional quality-for-dollar.
Half an hour east of Tours, along the banks of the Loire in the town of Mosnes, Xavier Frissant and his wife, Isabelle, tend five different lieux-dits (named vineyards) and produce dazzling reds and whites at every level—from cellar-worthy creations to everyday drinkers. Though not widely known in America, the Frissants have caught the attention of French media, particularly the Bettane & Desseauve guide, which has described Frissant as “one of the best winemakers of the Loire,” whose grape-growing skills are “as good as one could wish for across his different terroirs.” The Frissant vineyard holdings cover a total of 27 hectares and he breaks them into two main groups: those around Amboise, which is upstream from Tours and features soils of clay and silex (flint); and those around Tours, where the soils are sandy clay and limestone. They describe their farming as sustainable in the lutte raisonnée model, meaning that chemical inputs are eschewed except in emergencies. 

The focus of their attention in the Tours-area vineyards is Sauvignon Blanc and its cousin, Fié Gris, which has the pink-ish hue—or, as its name suggests, the gray-ish hue—of Gewürztraminer grapes. In years when the grapes are able to ripen to perfection, they produce a wine of unprecedented richness and authority, balanced by that unmistakably bright Loire Valley acidity.  

The 2016 Xavier Frissant “Les Roses Du Clos” was harvested by hand, whole-cluster pressed, fermented in neutral 400-liter barrels, then aged in those barrels on its fine lees until bottling the following spring. In the glass, those “gray” skins impart a subtle orange-pink hue and the wine is profoundly aromatic with exotic florals, zesty grapefruit, and a silky round and rich palate feel teeming with stone fruits and laser-like acidity. It’s reminiscent of Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc, only with a richer texture and zero gooseberry notes. The finish reveals more citrus peel and stony minerality. I’d highly recommend serving in white Bordeaux stems and not too cold, or you’ll lose out on all the gorgeous floral aromas this white offers; for a nice contrasting pairing, serve it with the attached grilled romaine salad and its accompanying cacophony of basil and blue cheese. It’s ironclad proof that wine need not be expensive to be truly memorable. Enjoy!
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Country
France
Region
Loire Valley
Sub-Region
FranceTouraine
Soil
Sandy Clay/Limestone
Farming
'Lutte Raisonnée'
Blend
Fié Gris 100%
Alcohol
13.0
OAK
400L Neutral Cask
TEMP.
45-50
Glassware
All-Purpose Whites / Bordeaux Stems
Drinking
Now
Decanting
Optional
Pairing
Grilled Romaine w/ Blue Cheese

France

Bourgogne

Beaujolais

Enjoying the greatest wines of Beaujolais starts, as it usually does, with the lay of the land. In Beaujolais, 10 localities have been given their own AOC (Appellation of Controlled Origin) designation. They are: Saint Amour; Juliénas; Chénas; Moulin-à Vent; Fleurie; Chiroubles; Morgon; Régnié; Côte de Brouilly; and Brouilly.

Southwestern France

Bordeaux

Bordeaux surrounds two rivers, the Dordogne and Garonne, which intersect north of the city of Bordeaux to form the Gironde Estuary, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The region is at the 45th parallel (California’s Napa Valley is at the38th), with a mild, Atlantic-influenced climate enabling the maturation of late-ripening varieties.

Central France

Loire Valley

The Loire is France’s longest river (634 miles), originating in the southerly Cévennes Mountains, flowing north towards Paris, then curving westward and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean near Nantes. The Loire and its tributaries cover a huge swath of central France, with most of the wine appellations on an east-west stretch at47 degrees north (the same latitude as Burgundy).

Northeastern France

Alsace

Alsace, in Northeastern France, is one of the most geologically diverse wine regions in the world, with vineyards running from the foothills of theVosges Mountains down to the Rhine River Valley below.

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