Le Grand Noir Sauvignon Blanc

Two worlds in one glass. Vibrant Sauvignon with a distinctly French twist.
Sauvignon Blanc is one of the world's most recognisable white grapes, but Le Grand Noir wanted to give it a personality that sits somewhere between the exuberance of the New World and the more restrained style associated with classic French whites. Their Les Deux Mondes — The Two Worlds takes Sauvignon into the Languedoc, where sunshine, altitude and cooling Mediterranean breezes create ripe fruit while allowing the wine to retain plenty of freshness.

The grapes come from carefully selected vineyards on clay and limestone terraces, with Le Grand Noir taking particular care to identify the soils and altitudes where Sauvignon performs best in this warmer part of France. Night harvesting helps preserve the freshness of the fruit, while the wine is made without oak, keeping the character bright, clean and firmly centred on the grape.

What makes it especially interesting is the combination of flavours. Alongside the familiar gooseberry, green capsicum and cassis-leaf notes of Sauvignon, there is a more exotic side of green fig, papaya and lychee. The result is lively without being aggressively grassy, making it a particularly easy style of Sauvignon to enjoy in Ireland — familiar enough for Sauvignon fans, but with enough personality to stand apart from the crowd.

Why we love it:
A very approachable Sauvignon that manages to be both fresh and generous without becoming overly tropical or aggressively herbaceous. The citrus and green-fruit character keeps it lively, while the subtle exotic notes give it a little more depth than your average everyday Sauvignon.