Quartz - 2020 - Etienne Courtois

Winemaker: Etienne Courtois 

Region: Loire valley, France 

Grapes: Sauvignon blanc, Menu de Pineau

Alcoholpercentage: 12%

Tasting notes: Golden straw in the glass with shimmering pale highlights. The nose offers sliced apple & poached pear backed by apple chutney spiced with brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon & allspice. The palate is very nutty, with a firm acidity. Yellow Apple flavours follow through and are joined by marzipan, hazelnut & hints of warm caramel. The wine finishes long and vibrant, with great mineral and core fruit presence, and a lingering inner mouth perfume of pear eau de vie. This is a truly outstanding and complex wine.

Served: 8-10°

Terroir & vinification: Les Cailloux du Paradis, vines from 2005, 25 hl/ha, The grapes are hand-harvested, destemmed and gently pressed. Only natural yeast and the juice undergoes an extended maceration. Vinified in barrel and aged for 12-24 months in oak. Quartz drinks well in its youth, however, decanting is highly recommended. The wine also shows aging potential up to a decade.