Touraine-Oisly En quête d'esprit Dominique et Nicolas Barbou 2020

Lot presentation

Touraine-Oisly En quête d'esprit Dominique et Nicolas Barbou 2020

The wine

The Touraine-Oisly appellation holds a unique place within the wider Touraine region, as it is devoted exclusively to Sauvignon Blanc. Here, the vines thrive in sandy-clay soils dotted with quartz, a hallmark of the Sologne’s vineyard landscape. This terroir lends the wines saline freshness, intense aromatic tension and fine structure. After manual harvests, the grapes are pressed in whole bunches at low temperature. Fermentation is slow, carried out in seasoned barriques with around 30% new wood. The wine is aged for about 20 months on fine lees without racking or filtration, with only a minimal addition of sulphur at bottling.
In the glass, the wine displays a brilliant, clear yellow hue. The nose is intense and complex, offering aromas of citrus, passion fruit and lime, lifted by fine herbal notes. The broad and lively palate show refreshing acidity with clean crispness and delicate salinity leading to a lightly bitter, aromatic and persistent finish.

About the Producer Nicolas Barbou

This domain is one of the best kept secrets from the Tours region. But who is the winemaker? That would be Nicolas Barbou, son of Dominique and Véronique Barbou who own Domaine des Corbillières in Touraine. After having been taught by Jean-Yves Bizot up until 2021 (who has had a strong influence on how Nicolas makes his wines), Nicolas then travelled to New Zealand for work before deciding to start his own vineyard in his home region of Touraine in the Loire Valley.
Artist or winemaker? Nicolas’ idea is to produce wines that evoke great emotions from various varieties such as Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Chenin, Gamay and even Pinot Noir. The name of his first cuvée, Utopie Créative, created the tone for the rest of the range, enthralling and daring. His decisions both at the vines and in the winery are precise and showcase the talents of this highly skilled winemaker who is only at the beginning of his career. One to watch very very closely!