“Achillea”, Sauvignon Blanc, Vin de France Blanc

"Achillea" is pure Sauvignon Blanc from asterie limestone—a reference to the fossilized starfish ("asterisks") found throughout the soil here. Christophe harvests it fully ripe, conducts a natural fermentation in used 500-liter barrels, and allows the wine to develop for 18 months in those same barrels. Nothing is added except 20 mg/L of sulfur toward the end of the élevage, and malolactic fermentation is allowed to occur. This last point is especially relevant, as Achillea veers far from the mainstream grass-and-gooseberries of most Sauvignon Blanc, and into the realm of lusciousness and honeyed amplitude that puts the taster in the mind of great Chenin Blanc or Roussanne.