Laurent Saillard 'Lucky You' Vin de France 2024

Laurent Saillard first made a name for himself as an early evangelist of the NYC natural wine movement in the 2000s at his Brooklyn restaurant, Ici. His love affair with natural wine eventually took him to France for a more hands-on approach, and for the last decade he’s been making natural wines of his own in the Loire. After an initial period experimenting with rented vineyards, he purchased half of the Clos Roche Blanche estate upon the owners’ retirement in 2015, and now owns 6 hectares which are farmed through a combination of organic and biodynamic techniques. Ironically, a good amount of his wine ends up back in NY bars and restaurants, where it is much in demand! Given the challenges posed by the wet 2024 vintage, we’re especially ‘Lucky’ to get our hands on this cuvée, a blend of sauvignon blanc and chardonnay from Laurent’s Clos Roche Blanche estate, pressed directly and aged in stainless steel. The cooler conditions of this vintage lend a vivacious acidity to the pure, clean tropical fruit flavors that sashay across the palate. Soft creaminess and mineral texture play a marvelous counterpoint to the fresh, bright top notes, all adding up to an absolute classic. Organically grown, biodynamically grown, low-intervention/natural wine, vegan.