Estelle Bidault Vouvray 2024
Origin: France
Retail:$23.95| Sale: $21.56
Estelle is part of a new generation of women giving voice to the Loire. Where once female presence in winemaking was often hidden, today women like her shape estates with their own vision. Her dry Chenin is not just a wine — it is a statement of identity: elegant, focused, and uncompromisingly true to place. This Vouvray is from Vernou — just west of the village of Vouvray (within the AOP). The terroir is her guiding force. Vouvray’s vineyards rest on ancient tuffeau limestone, overlaid with clay and flint. Among these soils, silex (flint) plays a special role. Its presence in the vineyard gives grapes an extra edge of precision: wines with vivid tension, bright citrus energy, and a chiselled mineral backbone. Where clay-limestone can provide roundness and structure, silex parcels sharpen the expression — producing Chenins that feel like liquid stone, both vibrant and age-worthy.
Luc Poullain Chenonceaux 2024
Origin: France
Retail: $31.95| Sale:$28.76
With a degree in agronomy and years of advising vine growers behind him, Luc’s understanding
of terroir is both scientific and sensory. “What I wanted was to create a place, a project, where wine wouldn’t just be the product of a process, but the expression of a landscape.” At the Domaine des Échardières, he works closely with a dedicated team, blending technical insight and hands-on attention. Every decision — from cultivation to bottling — is aimed at preserving the clarity and elegance of his whites and rosé. His experience and recognized expertise naturally led him to become president of the Touraine Chenonceaux appellation, a position he held for 10 years. The AOC Touraine Chenonceaux is a recent appellation directly related to the prestigious Château de Chenonceaux which was built in 1513 and was once occupied by a series of powerful women such as Diane de Poitiers and Catherine de Médicis. The soil is notable for being pure chalk.
Luc Poullain Touraine Rosé 2025
Origin: France
Retail: $19.95| Sale: $17.96
From our friend Luc Poullain in the chalky soils of the Touraine, this rosé is equal parts Pinot d’Aunis, Grolleau, Gamay, Malbec and Cabernet Franc. Located near the village of Pouillé (Loir-et-Cher), the vineyards of the Domaine des Échardières benefit from a unique left-bank terroir along the Cher River — a tributary of the Loire. The soils are a mix of clay-limestone and flint, well-drained and sun-exposed, ideal for cultivating white varieties with tension and aromatic precision. The 2025 vintage was marked by low yields due to drought. Yet despite the heat of the growing season, the wines show surprising freshness. This natural tension comes both from the vineyard work, with ripeness carefully restrained to preserve balance, and from the complementary character of the five grape varieties.
Marine Descombes Fleurie 2023
Origin: France
Retail: $36.95| Sale:$33.26
Marine Descombe runs her family winery and bottling business at Vins Descombe in Brouilly. Started in 1905 by her grandfather, Marine now heads up all aspects, still facing headwinds from the local patriarchy. Fleurie, one of the cru Beaujolais is well-known for its pink granite soil. This soft and fruity red shows sliced strawberries and red plums on the nose. Hand harvesting, biodiversity in the vineyards with rows of forest lining the plots, whole clusters, natural yeasts and aging in gentle cement vats leads to a fresh wine with sappy tannins.