By Thierry Delaunay
2023 Sauvignon Blanc Single Vineyard AOP Touraine

Wine Details
Origin: Loire Valley
Appellation: Touraine
Vineyard: Flinty clay Silex soils from a 34-hectare estate
Blend: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Farming: Sustainably farmed; use of ground cover, canopy management, green harvesting
Winemaking: Aged on fine lees with weekly stirring for three months
Alcohol: 12.50%

Tasting Notes
Thierry Delaunay Touraine Sauvignon Blanc 2023 is seriously refreshing and citrusy. This medium-bodied wine has a pale straw color with notes of grapefruit, citrus, apple, peach, and gooseberry. Well-balanced acidity and finish. An ideal match with grilled fish, white meats, vegetables, goat cheese, or as an aperitif.

Vintage
The 2023 vintage has been described as "complex," as vineyards throughout the Loire endured a harsh and frosty spring and a wet summer, exposing the vines to disease and leaves full of mildew. However, growers were optimistic about a successful vintage. They have been incredibly careful and meticulous during harvest, grape selection, and sorting, and even more attentive in their winemaking processes, which will help determine the overall quality of this vintage. The majority of the Loire Valley's vignerons have already finished picking, certainly for the white, early ripening varieties and dry styles. Despite the difficulties in the Loire Valley, the Sauvignon Blanc grapes are all clean - a testament to a very rigorous selection of grapes by some of the Loire's best producers.

Winemaking
Thierry says, "We worked our Sauvignon the same way as in the other years, starting by harvesting healthy and ripe grapes, carrying out skin maceration for 12 hours (30%). Light pressing, continuing with cold alcoholic fermentation (15-16 degrees C). Maturing on fine lees in stainless steel vats with stirring for three months to suspend the lees and add fat. Throughout the process, we pay attention to oxidation. The final goal is to offer a wine that is simultaneously complex, rich, and fruity with a beautiful freshness."

Vineyards
Thierry Delaunay's 34 hectares of vineyards have diverse soils, from clay and flint perruches that give distinctive qualities typical of the terroir to elegance and finesse from the finer, less stony bournais soils. His Sauvignon Blanc is a product of these flinty clay perruches like those of nearby Sancerre, and the final wine will indeed be familiar to Sancerre lovers. Located on the banks of the Cher River, these vineyards have been in the family for five generations, passing from father to son. Ever since the first wines were bottled at the Domaine in 1971, the Delaunay family has strived to improve their quality by combining the best of traditional procedures with the latest technology.
[Information provided by Serge Dore Selections]

THIERRY DELAUNAY Sauvignon Blanc Touraine 2023
Rating: 91
Value: $55
Drink: 2024-2025
Country: France
Region: Loire Valley
Appellation: Touraine
Editor: J. D'Angelo
Issue: January, 2024
Importer: Serge Dore Selections
The 2023 Sauvignon Blanc from Thierry Delaunay is bright and lively, this beings [sic] with vivid aromas of lychee, lime zest, herbs, wet stones and white floral notes all bursting from the glass. On the palate this is nicely balanced with a lovely combination of bright acidity, citrus and fresh tropical fruits all leading up to the mouthwatering finish.

Thierry Delaunay Sauvignon Blanc Touraine 2023
Thursday, August 8, 2024
Country: France
Region: Loire Valley
Vintage: 2023
Score: 90
The vivid nose of yellow bell peppers and pink grapefruit with floral nuances pulls you into this very fresh, barely medium-bodied sauvignon blanc. It’s racy with a very refreshing citrusy acidity that makes this as bright as anything New Zealand has to offer. Drink now. Screw cap.
Stuart Pigott, Senior Editor

Thierry Delaunay Sauvignon Blanc 2023 Touraine
Producer: Thierry Delaunay
Appellation: Touraine
Region: Loire
Country: France
Colour: White
Alcohol: 12.5%
Score: 16/20
When to drink: 2024 - 2025
Published on: 12 Aug 2024
Date tasted: 9 Aug 2024
Reviewer: Tamlyn Currin
Full-on gooseberry nose, but rather lovely. Bumptious and charming. Lots of tangerine and mango fruit - plump Touraine fruit and maybe a teaspoon-tip of sweetness, but it works. It would be great with Thai beef salad. (TC)