Gérard Fiou, Sauvignon Blanc, Sancerre Terroir Silex, Loire Valley, France 2023

Domaine Gérard Fiou is a wine made from 63-year-old Sauvignon Blanc vines planted on the famous flinted hills of Saint-Satur, on the eastern side of the Sancerre appellation. Vinified in temperature-regulated stainless steel tanks and aged for more than 6 months on the fine lees, with bâtonnage.

Domaine Gerard Fiou is a small family domaine in the east of the Sancerre appellation in the town of Saint Satur. There are only a handful of producers here and the soil is unique in that it has a high percentage of silex (or flint) which typically is identified with Pouilly Fumé, which lies just across the Loire river. The domaine now has just under 10 hectares, and they are in the process of converting to certified organic viticulture. Only 15% of the Sancerre appellation has these special silex soils. The terroir, coupled with the older vineyards, gives the wines have a unique and intense mineral expression that is distinctly Sancerre.