Fournier Père et Fils Les Deux Cailloux Pouilly-Fumé 2021

As a quintessential Sauvignon Blanc, Fournier’s 2021 Pouilly-Fumé Les Deux Cailloux (90 Points – Wine Enthusiast) sports a crystalline brilliance along with the appellation’s telltale green flash. Fresh, vivacious, and totally engaging from the first snip, the 2021 Fournier Pouilly-Fumé beckons the taster with enchanting citrus, grassy, floral, and “gun flint” aromas for which Pouilly-Fumé is renowned. After all, fumé means smoke in French, and there’s just the right amount of flint in the aroma and on the palate of this wine to complement the wine’s vivacious fruit and racy acidity, all of which provide the complexity that is often missing in lesser Sauvignon Blancs. Lovers of full throttle Sauvignon Blanc will delight in Fournier’s 2021 Pouilly-Fumé from the moment it is poured, while others may prefer to cellar this classic Pouilly-Fumé for another year or more as Fournier’s flagship Pouilly-Fumé has the propensity to age gracefully up to five years or more. We suggest serving this complex and stylish Sauvignon Blanc moderately chilled (40°-45° F) and often. Anticipated maturity: 2023-2026. Santé!

Like Sancerre, which lies across the Loire from Pouilly-Fumé, Pouilly-Fumé has been dubbed the quintessential wine to serve with seafood, especially shellfish. It’s hard to argue with the sentiment, as there is no better wine to pair with seafood than the finest Sauvignon Blanc. A plate of oysters on the half shell and a dish brimming with fresh mussels steamed in a heady broth make superb accompaniments to Fournier’s 2021 Pouilly-Fumé. Another perennial favorite is Pan Roasted Sea Scallops, served with a savory saffron risotto, baby carrots, and sautéed spinach. Steamed New Zealand Green Lipped Oysters, prepared with tomato, fennel, and crème fraîche merits two thumbs up as well. Also consider pairing gravlax or smoked salmon, served with capers, red onion, and cream cheese, with Fournier’s mouthwatering Pouilly-Fumé. Calamari, octopus, and nearly any creature that once swam in the sea will provide superb companionship to Fournier’s 2021 Pouilly-Fumé, including Alaskan king crab legs and lobster. One could ask for no better wine to serve with bounty from the sea, but this Pouilly-Fumé complements more than just seafood. It pairs beautifully with delicate appetizers, sweetbreads, country pâtés, salads, and a host of fine cheeses, including Brie, Camembert, and the finest Chèvre. For optimal enjoyment, we suggest serving Fournier’s 2021 Pouilly-Fumé with the region’s most renowned cheese: Crottin de Chavignol – the combo is not to be missed. Bon Appétit!

The Fournier family are longtime growers and producers of Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé, Menetou-Salon, and Sauvignon Blanc from select vineyards in France’s Loire Valley. And, like many of the best growers in Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé, the Fourniers have expanded their holdings over the past half century to include vineyard parcels from growers with the most outstanding terroir. From these parcels they craft several exceptional wines, including this month’s feature, the 2021 Fournier Pouilly-Fumé Les Deux Cailloux.

In addition to producing a quintessential, wonderfully crisp, highly acclaimed Pouilly-Fumé, Fournier Père et Fils also fashions several Sancerre wines that are consistently deemed by critics to be among Sancerre’s finest cuvées. The domain’s Les Belles Vignes, Grande Cuvée, and Cuvée Silex sit atop the pinnacle of quality for wines from France’s iconic Sancerre appellation.

Begun in 1950 with just over 10 acres in Sancerre, the Fournier Père et Fils estate has grown to nearly 222 acres in various appellations and locales throughout the Loire Valley. In each appellation and with each wine, the emphasis is always on quality and producing France’s finest Sauvignon Blanc. Although Sauvignon Blanc remains the Fournier family’s passion and claim to fame, the estate also fashions a light, aromatic red Pinot Noir to rival the village wines of Burgundy.

Pouilly-Fumé emanates from the upper reaches of the Loire, France’s longest and most picturesque river. It is made of 100% Sauvignon Blanc grapes, which are grown in the appellation’s limestone-rich soil. Cultivation of the vine in Pouilly-Fumé dates back to Roman times, and for centuries the herbal, flinty, citrus intensity of Pouilly-Fumé has defined the finest Sauvignon Blanc wines from around the world. Pouilly-Fumé is rivaled only by its neighbor Sancerre as France’s ultimate purveyor of Sauvignon Blanc. Pouilly-Fumé should not be confused with Pouilly-Fuissé, a 100% Chardonnay from Burgundy.