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Product Name
Vintage
Price
Varietal
Country
Region
Appellation
Size
Additional Discount
Original Item
2012
$26.54
Sauvignon Blanc
France
Loire Valley
Sancerre
750ml
N/A
Better Price
2022
$24.94
Sauvignon Blanc
France
Loire Valley
Sancerre
750ml
Similar Price
2022
$27.00
Sauvignon Blanc
France
Loire Valley
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750ml
12B / $25.08
More Details
Winery
Domaine Fournier
Vintage: 2012
2012 has, so far been a positive year for wineries around the world. While it may be a little too early to speak of the wines being made in the northern hemisphere, European and North American wineries have already begun reporting that their harvesting season has been generally very good, and are predicting to continue with the kind of successes they saw in 2011. However, 2012 has been something of a late year for France, due to unpredictable weather throughout the summer, and the grapes were ripening considerably later than they did in 2011 (which was, admittedly, an exceptionally early year). French wineries are claiming, though, that this could well turn out to be advantageous, as the slow ripening will allow the resulting wines to express more flavour and features of the terroir they are grown in.
The southern hemisphere has seen ideal climatic conditions in most of the key wine producing countries, and Australia and New Zealand particularly had a superb year, in particular with the Bordeaux varietal grapes that grow there and which love the humidity these countries received plenty of. Also enjoying a fantastic year for weather were wineries across Argentina and Chile, with the Mendoza region claiming that 2012 will be one of their best vintages of the past decade. Similar claims are being made across the Chilean wine regions, where Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon had an especially good year. These two grape varietals also produced characterful wines on the coastal regions of South Africa this year.
Varietal: Sauvignon Blanc
Originating in the Bordeaux region of France, the Sauvignon Blanc grape varietal is today found in many different countries around the world. It is a grape which prefers milder temperatures, as too much exposure to heat dulls the juices within the green skinned fruits, leading to wines which are flat and characterless. As such, it is often found in valley regions, or by the coast where it can benefit from cooling oceanic winds before their characteristic early harvest. Indeed, climate appears to be the main variable in regards to the eventual flavor of Sauvignon Blanc wines, and wineries are constantly experimenting with harvesting dates in order to bring out everything from meadow flavors and grassy notes, to citrus and tropical fruit flavors in the bottle. In general, though, Sauvignon Blanc varietal grapes tend to produce wines which are dry, zesty and crisp in their nature, and extremely refreshing when served chilled.
Region: Loire Valley
The Loire Valley in France is home to many of the world's finest examples of white, rosé and sparkling wines, with a wide range of both dry and sweet examples being produced each year to international claim. Whilst Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc make up for much of the vineyards in the region, certain areas of the Loire Valley also produce superb red wines, such as the Cabernet Franc wines from the Chenin sub-region. This variety and level of excellence has long been admired, with the Loire Valley being highly favored in the middle ages by the crowned heads of Europe, and with a wine-making tradition which stretches back to the first century and perhaps beyond. The region has a wonderful continental climate, where hot summers meet oceanic winds, and excellent rich terroir carried by the river that flows through it.
Country: France
France is renowned across the globe for its quality wines and the careful expertise which goes into making them, but what is truly remarkable about this relatively small country is the vast range of wines it produces in such huge amounts each year. Not only are the finest red wines in the world said to come from the beautiful regions of Bordeaux and Burgundy, but elsewhere in the country we find the Champagne region, and areas such as the Rhone Valley and the Loire, whose white wines consistently receive awards and accolades by the plenty. This range is a result of the great variety of climatic conditions and terrain found in France, coupled with generations of wine makers working within single appellations. Their knowledge of specific terroirs and grape varieties has, over time, perfected the production of wines within their region, and the end results continue to impress the world to this day.