# Nicolas Idiart Sauvignon Blanc (2025)

- **Producer:** Maison Idiart
- **Colour:** white
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Sauvignon Blanc
- **Region:** Loire, France
- **Style:** Classic
- **Alcohol:** 12.5%
- **Average price:** €13
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 8–10 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** grapefruit, lime, peach, mint, lemon, grass

## About this wine

Maison Idiart was founded by winemaker Nicolas Idiart, who graduated from the prestigious École du Vin in Bordeaux at just 19 years old. After honing his craft at top estates such as Château Talbot and Château Palmer, as well as working harvests across Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, he returned to the Loire Valley to create accessible, terroir-driven wines. This cuvée highlights fruit sourced from old vines planted on flint, clay, and sand soils in the heart of the Loire region.

## Interesting facts

- Founder Nicolas Idiart became the youngest graduate in the history of Bordeaux's École du Vin at age 19.
- Only first-run free-run juice is selected for the blend to avoid harsh pyrazines and retain pure citrus aromatics.
- Grapes are harvested from old vines averaging 25 to 35 years old planted on flint (silex) and clay soils.

## Food pairing

High natural acidity and vibrant citrus notes cut cleanly through rich goat cheese, fresh seafood, and shellfish, while matching light herb-driven sauces without overwhelming delicate proteins.

## Wine making process

Winemaking focuses on pure fruit expression and tension. Fruit undergoes pre-fermentation skin contact before selecting only the first-run free-run juice (tête de cuvée). Fermentation takes place at low temperatures in concrete or stainless steel vats using indigenous yeasts. The wine undergoes no oak aging, resting instead on fine lees with periodic bâtonnage in concrete or stainless steel tanks to build subtle textural complexity while maintaining vibrant acidity.