Blanchet Pouilly-Fumé “Cuvée Silice”, 2005
~$20US, 100% Sauvignon Blanc, Pouilly-Fume, Loire Valley France.
My first Pouilly-Fumé. Very very pale green-yellow in color. Surpisingly aromatic - guava, mango, grapefruit, fresh-cut-grass, and playground gravel on the nose. Explosive and expansive mouthfeel - like a spikey balloon expanding in your mouth - scintillating with spicy acidity on the outside yet round and viscous inside. Gunpowder keeps coming to mind. Very fresh, crisp, and bracing - dry in style, but very ripe fruit flavors balance the deal. It reminded me of a hypothetical mix - a dash of new-world Viognier and a bone-dry, austere Mosel Riesling - but zingier. Long, chalky finish.
To my tastes, this simply outclasses the New Zealand wines of the variety that I have tried (including some at this price and above) in terms of complexity - with the gravelly flinty bits and a the hint of (signature) smoke and great fruit. I’d love this with grilled fish, shellfish, or goat cheese salads. Seek this out if you’ve never had an old-world SB - you’ll be rewarded.