(Quincy “les Grandes Vignes de Villalin”- Domaine de Villalin) This bottling of Quincy hails from the original sector of the appellation, on the right bank of the Cher River and across the water from the vast majority of the expanded appellation. The difference between the two sides is that here, the soils are much more similar to Pouilly-Fumé, with a mix of gravel and silex, whereas across the river, the soils are clay and chalk. The proprietors, Marilyne and Jean-Jacques Smith farm their 7.5 hectares of sauvignon blanc vines organically, harvest by hand, ferment with indigenous yeasts and raise the wine in stainless steel. Their 2021 Quincy “les Grandes Vignes de Villalin” is a really beautiful bottle of sauvignon blanc, offering up a bright and refined bouquet of gooseberry, tart orange, fresh-mown grass, a beautiful base of flinty soil tones, white flowers and a topnote of limepeel. On the palate the wine is vibrant, full-bodied and quite elegant in profile (particularly for Quincy), with a lovely core of fruit, excellent focus and grip, zesty acids and a long, minerally, complex and classy finish. I love the backend energy in this wine! (Drink between 2022-2030)John Gilman | 92 JG
