The Loire river is the longest river in France. The Loire Valley is home to a wide variety of wines as well as great castles. Touraine is towards the eastern end of the wine producing area, but is actually southwest of Paris. Over time, more and more of the local producers are getting involved in organic and biodynamic wines. This wine was produced on the outskirts of Oisly, France, a village of some three hundred souls, not far from Tours, the largest city in Touraine. It is often compared to the better know and more expensive Sancerre. I'll talk about that more later.

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Wine Reviewed Domaine du Pre Baron Sauvignon Touraine 2007 12.5% alcohol about $14.50

Let's start by quoting the marketing materials. Description: Domaine du Pre Baron belongs to the Terra Vitis organization, a group of French wine producers committed to producing healthy, high quality grapes without using chemical treatments or harming the surrounding flora and fauna. It embraces many of the principles of sustainable agriculture, organic viticulture and biodynamism. Tasting Note: Intense Sauvignon Blanc that, at the start, hints at New Zealand more than the Loire. Tons of grass, gooseberry, lemongrass and grapefruit zest here. Strong suggestion of the Loire comes from the minerality on the mid-palate. Quite dry, racy yet elegant with very good varietal pedigree. Medium bodied with a lingering, crisp/fruity finish. Match it to bouillabaisse. (VINTAGES panel, Feb. 2009). And now for my review.

At the first sips the wine was mouth filling and made me think of mowed grass. Its first pairing was with baked chicken in soya sauce accompanied by vegetarian pancakes made with broccoli, potatoes, oat bran, garlic et al. With the pancakes the wine was long with a touch of sweetness and grapefruit. It was palate cleansing (the pancakes were greasy). With the chicken. the Sauvignon Blanc was deliciously floral and displayed great balance between fruit and acidity. It was feathery and palate cleansing. With fresh strawberries this wine was slightly less floral but still feathery.

The following meal started with homemade broccoli and potato soup perked up by Japanese wasabi rice crackers. In response the Sauvignon Blanc was multilayered, round, and well balanced. The main course was an asiago cheese omelet with a side of pesto. From my glass I got gooseberries and a touch of sweetness. The wine deepened to meet the pesto challenge and showed good balance between acidity and fruit. Dessert was a delicious apple, plum, and pear cake. The wine was quite long and yet feathery.

My final meal included a boxed vegetarian lasagna slathered with grated parmesan cheese. The Sauvignon Blanc displayed light acidity, pears, and honey. It was subtle. To tell the truth it could have been stronger. Dessert was Haagen-Daz mint chip ice cream. The wine was weakened; grapefruit came to the fore. What to do when the wine responds not very well to what might have been a seemingly workable food pairing Try another dessert (I am always willing to make sacrifices for the sake of this column.) With a chocolate chip sponge cake, not nearly as tasty as the homemade cake of the previous meal, this wine was long with refreshing acidity and made me think of cut grass.

I finished the bottle with the help of two local cheeses. With a gouda cheese the wine had bright acidity and was quite long showing touches of cut grass and some fruit. In response to a more powerful yellow cheddar cheese, its flavors intensified and the wine was quite round.

Final verdict. This wine is a definite yes. I wish that I could try it with the recommended bouillabaisse, but frankly it's quite good with almost everything. I was a big fan of Sancerre, but frankly find this wine just as good, and considerably less expensive.
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