Alcohol: 13%
Grape(s): Sauvignon Blanc
Localization: Loire Valley, France
Tasting Notes: A golden colored and mineral wine with elegance and finesse. A mineral-laced smoky accent and citrus aromas. Elegant and powerful on the palate. Can be cellared for 2-3 years.
Notes: Historians state that in the 17th century, in Pouilly Sur Loire, 'muscat genetin' was the original name given to the Sauvignon Blanc grape variety. The Genetin bottling is normally reserved for the most powerful cuvées in the winery. It is produced from 25 year-old vines from a terroir made of "Villiers Limestone" ("Calcaire de Villiers" in French - it is also called "Caillottes"), situated in the hamlet of Le Bouchot, located 1.5 miles Northwest of Pouilly-sur-Loire.
Traditional vinification in thermo-regulated stainless steel tanks. Following a gentle pressing, the juice is then fermented in stainless steel at controlled temperatures before being left to age on its fine lees to gain extra depth and concentration before bottling in the next spring. No oak.
Food pairing: Food pairing: shellfish, scallop carpaccios, salmon with lemon and olive oil, goat cheese such as "Crottin de Chavignol". Perfect also as an aperitif.
The Domain: Winemaker Annick Tinel is continuing her family’s 400+-year-old winemaking traditions at Pouilly-sur-Loire. Annick Tinel took over the estate from her parents, Camille & Fernand Blondelet, in 1983, becoming a 12th generation wine grower. Her daughter, Marlene, could become the 13th.
More than 50 years ago, Fernand Blondelet was cultivating a few hectares of vines in the heart of Pouilly sur Loire, in addition to his other agricultural and farming endeavors. Over time, he decided to focus his activity exclusively on viticulture. He became the first to open a wine-tasting cellar, “A la Cave du Vigneron”, along the famous Nationale 7. The cellar exists to this day.
Later, he took the opportunity to buy some plots of vines in Thauvenay, a village close to Sancerre.
Today the winery covers 15 hectares (37 acres) of vineyards, divided into 3 parcels in Sancerre and 16 parcels in Pouilly:
9.5 hectares in Pouilly-Fumé, on limestone soils and kimmeridgian marls (oyster shells fossils)
0.5 hectares in Pouilly-sur-Loire
4 hectares in Sancerre, "Les Blancs Gateaux", on limestone and siliceous soils.
Annick Tinel focuses on the quality of the vineyard to obtain the optimum maturity of the grapes. She combines the use of modern techniques (pneumatic press, thermo-regulator, etc.) with traditional vinification methods to give richness and aromatic complexity to the wines.
Tinel-Blondelet produces Sauvignon Blanc, Chasselas and Pinot Noir. The total production averages 8,000 cases per year, 60% of which is exported.
