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2023 Cheverny
Domaine du SalvardAt twenty-three, I was given the opportunity to build the wine list at a bustling French seafood restaurant in Brooklyn. I had fallen in love with the menu the first time I’d dined there: fresh East and West Coast oysters, moules marinières, daily fish specials like seared sea scallops with fennel and grapefruit salad, whole roasted branzino... It was here I tasted my first Cheverny, a Loire white rife with herbs, citrus, and minerality—a perfect pairing for briny treats from the sea, often tempered by rich European butter. Naturally, the bottle promptly became a crowd (and staff) favorite.
In the years that followed, between leaving the restaurant and arriving at Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, I never encountered another Cheverny quite as memorable. Imagine my delight when, at an early staff tasting, we opened this bottle from Domaine du Salvard. Fresh, lively, and full of zest, it transported me back through time. This is truly singular Sauvignon Blanc with saline notes and whiffs of sage, rounded out with a luxurious splash of Chardonnay. But what’s really remarkable is the energetic rush of youth it contains—scents of summery, ripe tomato vines, and seasons of life that leave you forever changed.
—Allyson Noman
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2023 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | 85% Sauvignon Blanc, 15% Chardonnay |
Appellation: | Cheverny |
Country: | France |
Region: | Loire |
Producer: | Domaine du Salvard |
Winemaker: | Emmanuel & Thierry Delaille |
Vineyard: | 10 - 65 years |
Soil: | Chalk, Limestone, Sand |
Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
Alcohol: | 12.5% |
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About The Producer
Domaine du Salvard
About The Region
Loire
The defining feature of the Loire Valley, not surprisingly, is the Loire River. As the longest river in France, spanning more than 600 miles, this river connects seemingly disparate wine regions. Why else would Sancerre, with its Kimmeridgian limestone terroir be connected to Muscadet, an appellation that is 250 miles away?
Secondary in relevance to the historical, climatic, environmental, and cultural importance of the river are the wines and châteaux of the Jardin de la France. The kings and nobility of France built many hundreds of châteaux in the Loire but wine preceded the arrival of the noblesse and has since out-lived them as well.
Diversity abounds in the Loire. The aforementioned Kimmderidgian limestone of Sancerre is also found in Chablis. Chinon, Bourgueil, and Saumur boast the presence of tuffeau, a type of limestone unique to the Loire that has a yellowish tinge and a chalky texture. Savennières has schist, while Muscadet has volcanic, granite, and serpentinite based soils. In addition to geologic diversity, many, grape varieties are grown there too: Cabernet Franc, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Melon de Bourgogne are most prevalent, but (to name a few) Pinot Gris, Grolleau, Pinot Noir, Pineau d’Aunis, and Folle Blanche are also planted. These myriad of viticultural influences leads to the high quality production of every type of wine: red, white, rosé, sparkling, and dessert.
Like the Rhône and Provence, some of Kermit’s first imports came from the Loire, most notably the wines of Charles Joguet and Château d’Epiré—two producers who are featured in Kermit’s book Adventures on the Wine Route and with whom we still work today.
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2020 Chinon “Le Clos Guillot”
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2021 Sancerre “Racines”
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2021 Bourgeuil “Cuvée Beauvais”
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2021 Chinon “Les Grézeaux”
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Kermit once said...
Kermit once said...
A good doctor prescribed the wine of Nuits-Saint-Georges to the Sun King, Louis XIV, when he suffered an unknown maladie. When the king’s health was restored the tasty remedy enjoyed a vogue at court. Lord, send me a doctor like that!
Inspiring Thirst, page 117