Emile Balland Elementerre Sauvignon Blanc 2022

This delightful Sauvignon Blanc is from the Vin de Pays du Jardin de France appellation, located in the Loire Valley of France. Made by a Sancerre producer, Emile Balland, who was born in Sancerre, 'Elementerre' is made of 100% Sauvignon Blanc from 20 year old, sustainably farmed vines planted to clay and sand. Hand-harvested, fermented in temperature-regulated tanks with selected ambient yeasts, this is clean and crisp with aromas of lemon citrus, herbs and minerals, This does not have an ultra 'green' undertone, which some Sauvignon Blancs can exhibit (and honestly something that turns us off!). Elementerre has ripeness and juiciness while still being, of course, perfectly dry as a good Sauvignon should be. This would be an amazing value for the Sancerre lover, and an elegant pedigreed improvement for the New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc drinker. Serve with raw oysters, all kinds of seafood, goat's milk cheeses, salads, artichoke bruschetta and more... 

We are sourcing this little number from a small import company owned & run by women who focus on small batch wines made with sustainable and organic methods. Their Sancerre producer is a man named Emile Balland, who also makes Elementerre for them, especially for them to offer by-the-glass in New York City. A bit about Emile : standing at the top of his steep 0.8 hectare vineyard in Sancerre, looking out onto the rest of the appellation, you get a feeling of exhilaration from the beauty of the view. Or maybe it’s just being out of breath. While Emile ran up this slope in steady, long strides (he is a very tall man!), the rest of the visitors trudged up behind him huffing and puffing. Cecille, Emile’s wife, just shook her head and laughed at the good-natured show-off she married.

The far sighted approach that Emile takes in the vines manifests itself in meticulous work, and respect for biodiversity and the organic life of the soil. Only natural treatments are used when necessary as Emile believes that healthy soil is crucial in the transference of terroir to the finished wines. The estate is comprised of just 9 total hectares; 1 in Sancerre and 8 in the Coteaux du Giennois. Emile’s holdings in the Giennois lie within the villages of Bonny-sur-Loire and Beaulieu-sur-Loire where the vineyards rise gently from the banks of the Loire. From these calcareous soils, with sub-strata of silex and clay, come the wines Emile calls “Les Beaux Jours.” The red is a juicy blend of pinot noir and gamay, and the white is entirely sauvignon. Seasonally, Emile also produces rosé from the same blend as the rouge, which we also have at the Bottle Shop.

Having grown up in Bué, the son of wine growers, Emile naturally makes his own Sancerre from a single hectare of vines, 10% of which are in his home town, which he is very proud of. He calls his Sancerre “Croq Caillotte” in recognition of the flavor imparted by the white stones covering the vineyards, and which are the hallmark of Sancerre’s terroir. The difficult 2016 vintage led Emile to begin sourcing fruit from friends in the Loire et Cher region. The project was such a success that Emile has continued to make the wines under this new ‘Elementerre’ label, as well as a delicious Sancerre sourced from two multi-generational, family-owned estates in the region.