Picnic Wine: Quincy, Loire Valley

The Quincy AOC of France’s Loire Valley is strictly for white wines. The Sauvignon Blanc grapes were brought to the region by monks about a thousand years ago. The village is actually located on the Cher River, which feeds into the Loire. Sancerre is close by, and so is Pouilly-Fumé, so you get the idea. It's a pretty good neighborhood.

Quincy - it rhymes with "Nancy", not the TV coroner - has been an AOC longer than any region except Châteuneuf-du-Pape. World War II interrupted viticulture in the region as the Cher River was a natural barrier between occupied and unoccupied France.  As a result, most of the vineyards were reportedly abandoned and not replanted until the 1980s.

Image from Polaner Selections

Domaine de Villalin Quincy Sauvignon Blanc 2015

The distributor says wife Maryline and husband Jean-Jacques Smith farm organically and still harvest completely by hand, a rarity in this region. You may also catch them working the vineyard behind a horse-drawn plow.

This Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc has fresh lime notes all over the nose, with a slight herbal tinge and an earthy side. The acidity, or level of freshness, is brisk and refreshing. The full mouthfeel is rich, though, and the citrus comes through just as strongly as it does on the nose. It's a little bit peppery, too, which adds to its food-friendliness.


Follow Randy Fuller on Twitter