Domaine Goisot "Corps De Garde" Saint-Bris Sauvignon Gris 2022

The Goisot Corps de Garde is an exceptional, biodynamically farmed white wine from the Saint-Bris appellation in Burgundy, France. Crafted primarily from old-vine Sauvignon Gris (often historically referred to as Fié Gris), this reserve cuvée shares many attributes with top bottlings of Sancerre from Terres Blanches soils, offering a rich, textural profile balanced by chalky limestone minerality. The nose is quite floral, with creamy exotic aromas of lemongrass, mandarins, mango, pear and a whiff of the exotic. The rich and quite generously proportioned middle weight flavors possess good verve, which carries over to the nicely persistent, crisp and balanced finish.

This rarely grown grape is called Gray Sauvignon in some regions and Pink Sauvignon in others, and is an ancestor of the modern-day Sauvignon Blanc grape. It had fallen out of style for a number of reasons, including its tendency to produce very low yields and that the fermentation can often times be very tricky. However, in the right hands, it is a marvelous varietal, far more concentrated in aromatics than the normal, cloned varieties, and when barrel-fermented it can reach the same level of the greatest Sauvignons from the Loire and Bordeaux.

100% Sauvignon Gris from certified biodynamic, organically farmed, estate grown grapes from the lieu dits of Cornevin, Cote de la Canne and La Roncie. 50% of the vines are 10-15 years old and 50% are 15-40 years in age. Hand harvested and vinified at cold temperatures in stainless steel vats using native yeasts, aged on its fine lees, and bottle aged before release. This wine shows so much breed for its humble designation that it just cries out to be a ringer in a blind tasting of top-flight Sauvignons from around the world.

The Goisot family hails from the small appellation of Saint-Bris, which geographically speaking, is part of Chablis, but was exiled from the appellation after phylloxera. While the history of winemaking in Burgundy dates back centuries, Jean-Hugues Goisot was among Burgundy's earliest fathers of biodynamic viticulture. His son, Guillaume, maintains this rigorous commitment with the family today. The Goisot family knows that in order to be one of the top producers in Burgundy, especially within an appellation that fought long and hard for a share of the spotlight, the wines would need to shine even brighter. They have a firm understanding of the region’s terroir, and their wines consistently radiate quality and value.