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Winery
Jean-Paul Balland
Varietal: Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon Blanc is widely considered to be one of the finest varietals of white wine grapes. The green skinned fruit is notable for ripening relatively early in the year, due to the fact that it prefers milder temperatures and cannot maintain its distinctive flavors in hot climates. As such, it has become a favorite grape varietal for wineries in many very different countries around the world, where it can benefit from brisk, coastal breezes and mild early summers. Sauvignon Blanc is revered for its freshness and zesty character, and generally produces wines which are dry and very crisp on the palate. However, there are a wide variety of wines produced from this wonderfully versatile grape – with many wineries preferring to age the fermented juices in oak, or allowing malolactic fermentation to add a creamier, buttery finish to the grassy and tropical, citrus flavors it often carries.
Region: Loire Valley
Within France, the one region most closely associated with fine white and rosé wines is surely the Loire Valley. With over eight controlled appellations, and a relatively large expanse of land covering this wide valley, the Loire Valley is an ideal location for wineries wishing to produce large quantities of excellent quality vines for their wine production. Indeed, this region has been associated with excellent white wines for over a thousand years, with it once being the favorite wine region for the crowned heads of England, France and beyond. Today, it produces a wide range of white wines, and several rosé and red varieties also. It is also widely celebrated for being home to some of France's most lively and fruity sparkling crémant wines, which more than match those produced in nearby Champagne.
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.