Domaine Villemaine Touraine Sauvignon 2023

Pleasingly crisp and refreshing, as all good Touraine Sauvignon Blanc should be, its aromas of gooseberries and asparagus are what you notice first. But there's more to this than simple refreshment. A fine-grained mineral texture cuts in and shows off some riper citrus flavours really well. It's a delightfully appealing and bright wine, a good advert for Touraine whites.

The sort of Sauvignon that's an excellent choice for a crisp aperitif, and it zings alongside the freshest catch, chicken, pork, or a slab of creamy cheese.

Based in the wine-growing town of Thésée in the Cher Valley, Domaine Villemaine benefits from the region's clay-limestone and clay-siliceous soils, along with the gentle microclimate of the Cher River. The estate has been around since 1825, but it’s from the late 1960s onwards that it really took shape in its modern form. Today, Jérémy Villemaine is at the helm, steering things forward with a mix of tradition and energy. Sauvignon Blanc is their mainstay, alongside plantings of Gamay and Cot. Fully organic since 2023, their wines are good-value expressions of what the Touraine area's best.