Les Maselles

The Loire Valley has been a source of delicious Sauvignon Blanc since, well, forever. These days - maybe thanks in part to our friends “down under” in New Zealand, “Savvy Bee” has hit a completely new gear in terms of this varietal’s popularity. In this famously fickle northern region of France, vintages are frequently challenged by spring frost and hail, and then later in the season, by the results of a relatively damp and humid climate, including mildew and other vine diseases. 

 

So we are thrilled to have found a source of well-made Sauvignon Blanc in “Les Maselles,” a wine that delivers all the nuance and freshness of the varietal, coming from its true heartland and home in France’s Val de Loire. 

 

Les Masinelles comes from a cooperative winery called Les Vignerons des Coteaux Romainais. Founded in 1957, the Cave covers about 200 hectares of vines, situated on the Sologne plateau, sandwiched between the Cher and the Loire itself. We are in the Touraine; Sancerre is directly to the east. The winery works with about twenty winegrowers in the communes around Saint-Romain-sur-Cher, a village of about 1500 people. Like its neighbors to the east, the terroir features mother-stone of both flint and limestone, and an abundance of clay. Though viticulture is the area’s primary agricultural activity, Saint-Romain is also within the DOP of some pretty famous goat cheeses: Sainte-maure-de-touraine, and Selles-sur-cher. There’s also some pretty good rillettes happening here.