2023 Jonathan Didier Pabiot Pouilly-Fumé Léon
£27.00
Spontaneous fermentation, lees work, aged in a mix of concrete and old oak. Certified organic (Ecocert) since 2006 and certified biodynamic (Demeter) since 2016.
“A clarion call to anyone who has ever sneered at Sauvignon Blanc – this wine will change your mind. Jonathan Pabiot has drawn out a sweet spot of grace and quiet lustre not often found in a variety that so often swings between big bluster and cold green. The fruit, greengage with the creaminess of a perfectly ripe avocado pear, waxes luminous like a full moon – silent, in the background, you have to step outside and lift you head to find it. Soft bay-leaf spices. Finishes like the curve of a sickle moon on the wane. There is something special about this wine.”
17/20 Tamlyn Currin for Jancis Robinson MW
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Product Description
The story of young Jonathan Pabiot is one of conviction and innovation. His father, Didier, always wanted his son to take over the winery, but was somewhat stuck in his winemaking methods. Jonathan wanted to create something new and break with old traditions.
He worked for a time at Léon Barral in the Languedoc, where, according to his own account, he learned a great deal and became particularly convinced of the merits of organic/biodynamic viticulture. When he finally returned to the Loire, his father was not particularly enthusiastic about his son’s ideas and visions.
Jonathan, however, insisted that if he were to take over the winery, it would be farmed organically. Didier initially gave Jonathan only 1.5 hectares on which to produce wine according to his own vision. It took less than a year for the family patriarch to be convinced by the results and decide to follow his son’s lead. Now, the entire 20 hectares are farmed organically, and more and more biodynamic principles are being implemented. The winery received official organic certification in 2006 and has been Demeter-certified since 2016.
However, Jonathan’s urge to discover new things was not yet satisfied. He himself says, naturally with a touch of irony, that he wants to continue exploring new paths until his 40th birthday. After that, it would be time to stick with what has proven successful.
Jonathan is currently experimenting with a completely unsulfured wine, which he is aging in amphorae, and in the future he also plans to produce white wines with extended skin contact. So we can look forward to more news from Pabiot.
Jonathan’s vines are up to 60 years old and grow on the magnificent soils of the Pouilly-Fumé appellation, which are interspersed with limestone and flint. The vineyards are planted exceptionally densely to put the vines under positive stress, encouraging them to root deeper and access sufficient nutrients. Yields are very low, the grapes are fermented exclusively with natural yeasts, and the use of sulfur is kept to a minimum in all wines.
The wines themselves are a pure reflection of terroir and grape variety. They are crystalline and clear, precise and refined. One always finds delicate fruit and a captivating minerality within them.
Léon cuvée comes from plots planted on predominantly clay-limestone terroirs. The wine is aged in stainless steel and truncated-cone wooden vats.
Additional Information
| ABV | 12.5% |
|---|---|
| Bottle Size | Bottle 75cl |
| Colour | White |
| Country | France |
| Critic Score | 17/20 |
| Drink until | 2031 |
| Style | Still |
| Sweetness | Dry |
| Vintage | 2023 |
