Fié Gris, Corps de Garde, Domaine Goisot
This rarely grown grape is called Gray Sauvignon in some regions and Pink Sauvignon in others, and is an ancestor of the modern-day Sauvignon grape. It had fallen out of style for a number of reasons, the first of which is its tendency to produce very little grapes. In addition, the fermentation can often times be very tricky. However, in the right hands, it is a marvelous varietal. It is far more concentrated in aromatics than the normal, cloned varieties, and when barrel-fermented it can reach the same level of the greatest Sauvignons from the Loire and Bordeaux.
The nose is quite floral, with creamy exotic aromas of mandarins, mango and some pear. It is very full and long. The wine shows so much breed for its humble designation that it just cries out to be a ringer in a blind tasting of top-flight Sauvignons from around the world.