Domaine Delaporte, Sancerre (Loire Valley, France) 2021

 Domaine Delaporte, in the village of Chavignol in the Loire Valley, was established by the Delaporte family in the 17th century.  Third generation vintner, Matthieu Delaporte, has converted the estate’s vineyard practices to biodynamic farming.  The use of sulfur in the winery and winemaking is kept to a minimum, which requires stringent hygiene in the winery.   More than 50 years old, the Sauvignon Blanc vines that provide the grapes for this wine, are grown on flint soil, which translates to “silex" in French.    The result is an elegant, finely structured, wine with ethereal aromas of chalk, herbs, lemon and lime. In the mouth, the citrus flavors are softened by a creamy texture and enlivened by nervy acidity.  Serve it with a Crottin de Chavignol, made from the raw milk of goats of the region.