# Les Sables (2024)

- **Producer:** Ferme de la Sansonnière
- **Colour:** white
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Grolleau Blanc
- **Region:** Loire, France
- **Style:** Natural
- **Alcohol:** 11.0%
- **Average price:** €50
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** No
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 10–12 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** apple, lemon, peach, blossom

## About this wine

Ferme de la Sansonnière, directed by Mark Angeli and his son Martial, is a pioneering biodynamic estate based in Anjou, Loire Valley. Mark Angeli, a former bricklayer from Marseille who retrained in Sauternes, purchased the property in 1989 and converted to biodynamic viticulture in 1990. The estate is widely celebrated for reviving rare native grape varieties such as Grolleau Blanc, producing vibrant, low-intervention Vin de France expressions from unique sandy-clay terroirs.

## Interesting facts

- Grolleau Blanc is an exceptionally rare native Loire mutation saved from obscurity by Mark Angeli.
- Founder Mark Angeli was a bricklayer before converting to biodynamic winemaking in 1990.
- The cuvée name 'Les Sables' refers directly to the sandy-clay plateau soils of the parcel.
- Crafted without any added sulfur, chaptalization, fining, or filtration.

## Food pairing

The high, electric acidity and mineral tension cut effortlessly through soft, creamy goat cheeses and the natural richness of delicate shellfish, while delicate orchard fruit and citrus tones complement raw and lightly seared seafood without overwhelming it.

## Wine making process

Harvested entirely by hand in multiple selective passes to select optimal fruit, the grapes undergo gentle whole-cluster pressing followed by spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel tanks. The wine spends 6 months aging in stainless steel, made without chaptalization, acidification, or added sulfur. It is bottled unfined and unfiltered to retain pure fruit and mineral expression.