White Wine: Mardon Quincy

The Quincy AOC of France’s Loire Valley only produces white wines. The village is located on the Cher River, which feeds into the Loire. Sancerre is close by, and so is Pouilly-Fumé, so you get the idea. There is good stuff there.

Quincy - it rhymes with "Nancy" - 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 abandoned and not replanted until the 1980s.

Domaine Mardon Tres Vieilles Vignes 2014

The wine’s importer, Skurnik Wines, has this to say about the winery. "Current owner and winemaker Hélene Mardon is the 5th generation of her family to make wine in Quincy. With some of the oldest holdings in all of the Loire, they are undoubtedly the top producer in the appellation. The village of Quincy is located about 50 miles west of Sancerre on the left bank of the Cher river and has composed of more gravel and sandy river debris, yielding a particularly juicy and minerally Sauvignon Blanc. 50-80 year old vines made and aged in tank." Also, the Mardon family practices organic farming and they don’t use any herbicides. They employ only natural yeasts during fermentation

This 2014 Tres Vieilles Vignes sells for under $20 online. It hits a pretty reasonable alcohol content of 13% abv.  The wine looks pale greenish gold and has a nose of citrus and minerals. The palate shows herbal notes, grapefruit and a green quality that is very fresh.


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