The soil of his vineyards consists of clay, silica and limestone that is mixed with quite a bit of flint. His vineyard sites are considered to be some of the finest growing sites in the appellation and the Chenin Blanc vines that created this lovely Vouvary are twenty-five years old. Fermentation occurs in wood, then the wine rests in stainless steel to obtain a balance between fruit, acidity and terroir character. Rather than dosing his wines with sulfur dioxide, François filters his wines to insure their stability.

This rich and easy summer quaffer shows fresh green apple and lime scents backed by ginger and almond hints on the nose. The palate had got great intensity with apple, lime and ginger flavors that get a boost from Meyer lemon rind and grapefruit tones as well as hints of fresh fig. It finishes with great length and vibrancy. I had this with a hearty garden salad and grilled chicken breast and it was perfect. It will also work beautifully with sea scallops sautÈed in butter, fried chicken or country ham.

—Donald