Holy snails! A summer Sauv Blanc worth sipping slowly (#Winophiles)

“The Holy Snail” – Who could resist a name like that? Or the $12.99 price? I’m in!

Casting aside doubts (we’ll get to those later), I grabbed a bottle of this fun-sounding Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc off the shelf at Whole Foods. It’s been a busy week of painting outside, a task best left for the dry summer months in the Pacific Northwest, as well as paddling (which I do year round here) and taking care of the preschooler.

Would there be enough time to write a post for this month’s Winophiles theme?

Well, there’s almost always time for lunch, so why not wine? I twisted open the easy screw cap and poured this yellow-gold wine into a glass. Citrusy aromas wafted out. Then I tasted. Yup! Another yummy summer sipper like the one I shared last month for Wine Pairing weekend. Delicious with grilled chicken wraps. Sure hope I find the time to share this wine with others, I thought.

The French Winophiles will be chatting about Sauvignon Blanc on Twitter this Saturday, 7/16, starting at 8 am PT/11 am ET. If reading this post in time, you can join us by following the #Winophiles hashtag. Deanna from Wineivore, our host, posted a useful guide to French Sauv Blanc. It’s worth checking out!

Doubt #1 – Val de Loire IGP

Val de Loire IGP (Indication Géographique Protégée) or Vin de Pays, as it is also known, is the classification covering wines made from Loire Valley grapes, wherever they’re grown. It’s a huge area that follows the Loire River for about 350 miles – from the Atlantic Ocean to central France.

Vin de Pays was introduced in the 1970s. By the year 2000, there were more than 150 individual Vin de Pays titles, such as Val de Loire, covering about a quarter of French wine production. (Source: wine-searcher)

Naturally, an area this size is extremely varied both in terroir (soil, topography, climate) and style. For winemakers, this is precisely the point of having a Vin de Pays classification, because it allows for greater stylistic freedom than the more highly regulated AOC (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée) designation.

With an AOC wine, the buyer has a fairly good idea of what to expect – crisp and minerally wine from the limestone soils of Sancerre or smokey with gunflint aromas in Sauv Blanc from Pouilly-Fumé. With an IGP (Vins de Pays) wine, we’re not entirely sure.

Doubt #2 – The vintage

White wines don’t ferment on their grape skins, like reds (unless they are orange wines). This means they lack the tannins that allow reds to age longer. Some whites age better than others – Riesling, for example – due to their genetic makeup.

Sauvignon Blanc is best consumed young while the wine is aromatic and fruity. With age, they can develop vegetal aromas of asparagus and peas that some people may find pleasant. Me? Not so much.

This 2019 Sauvignon Blanc concerned me. Would the nose still sing? For the price, I thought it was worth a try.

The producer and the wine:
2019 Domaine Joël Delaunay “The Holy Snail” Sauvignon Blanc, IGP Val De Loire

Thierry Delaunay and wife Marie have been owners of their almost 92-acre family estate in Touraine, in the central Loire, since 2003. Winemaking has been in the family for five generations. In 1965, Thierry’s father, Joël, a farmer, began focusing entirely on winemaking and establishing the estate.

Sauvignon Blanc is the flagship white wine of the Touraine appellation and makes up two-thirds of Domaine Joël Delaunay vineyards. In addition, they grow Gamay, Cabernet Franc and Malbec as their reds, and Pineau d’Aunis to blend with Gamay for rosés. Chardonnay is used for making their sparkling wine in the traditional method.  

The secret to their wines, say the owners, are flint-clay stones (perruches) on their hillside vineyards and the denser, “clayey,” soil on the plateau. They also credit the oceanic influence with protecting them from early spring frost and producing a microclimate that leads to optimal grape maturity.

“The Holy Snail,” part of the Thierry Delaunay Signature series, is made from Touraine grapes. After fermentation, the wine matures on its fine lees (spent yeast cells).

My tasting notes: Pale yellow gold in color. Aromatic and citrusy with ripe grapefruit notes. Palate is smooth and slightly minerally with a hint of summer hay and mint. Medium + acidity and finish. Refreshing and still very much alive. Alcohol: 12.5%. Price: $12.99.

The pairing: Escargot would have been fitting, but we had grilled chicken thighs on the menu and they were pretty darn good. I used a lime-herb rub that I adapted from Good Housekeeping’s handy Grill It! guide to grilling. For this rub, combine the following ingredients and rub under the skin of four chicken thighs (or two chicken breasts):

1-2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
½ tbsp. grated lime peel
1 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves or ¼ cup dried cilantro
1 cup loosely packed mint leaves or 1/4 cup dried mint (optional)
½ tbsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp. minced, peeled fresh ginger or ½ tbsp.ground ginger
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 green onion, thinly sliced
½ tsp. crushed red pepper
Salt to taste

Shred the grilled chicken on 12-inch tortillas over spinach leaves. Squirt lime-cilantro or your favorite dressing over the top. Voila!

Here’s what all the participating Winophiles are serving up this month:

• Camilla is making Vietnamese Summer Rolls with a Sauvignon Blanc from the Pays de la Loire at Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Wendy is whipping up a Shrimp Bisque and a Sauvignon Blanc from Bordeaux at A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Robin is pouring a Sauvignon Blanc from the small hamlet of Chavignol in Sancerre at Crushed Grape Chronicles
• Jane is Tasting Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc Paired with Smoked Salmon Crostini at Always Ravenous
• Jeff is preparing a Surprise! Sauvignon Blanc from Bourgogne at Food Wine Click!
• Gwendolyn is Comparing 2 French Sauvignon Blanc: Loire vs Bordeaux with Grilled Pesto Stuffed Chicken at Wine Predator
• Katrina is toasting to Let’s Give Some Love to French Sauvignon Blanc… From Bordeaux at Corkscrew Concierge
• Linda is writing about Holy Snails! A Summer Sauv Blanc worth sipping slowly at My Full Wine Glass
• Deanna is frying Sole Meuniere Paired with Sancerre at Wineivore