2021 Jonathan-Didier Pabiot Elisa Pouilly-Fume Loire 750 ml

Jonathan-Didier Pabiot is making some of the most exciting Sauvignon Blanc in France.

Described by Vinous as one of Pouilly-Fumé’s “A-League,” he’s revolutionized his family’s domaine by applying a level of attention to detail that’s typically seen only at the most prestigious estates in Burgundy or Bordeaux. That’s why his wines have landed on three-star MICHELIN wine lists like Addison in San Diego, where the bright flavors of Pabiot’s Elisa bottling proved an ideal match for Kampachi sashimi.

To elevate his family’s property and earn his star status, Pabiot increased the planting density of his vineyards to a nearly-unheard-of 10,000 vines per hectare. This increased competition between vines, producing smaller berries and more intense wines—and necessitating specialized equipment and significantly more labor. The yields get lowered even more by a rigorous removal of buds in the spring, and Pabiot compounds the required effort by farming biodynamically—a move driven by his apprenticeship to legendary winemaker Didier Barral.

In the cellar, Pabiot only works with native yeasts, going into the vineyards before harvest to get a pied de cuve (starter) that ensures fermentations are healthy and strong. He ages his wines in a mixture of stainless steel and concrete tanks, neutral oak, and a small number of amphorae. The results are striking, with electric, citrus-driven fruit flavors and a gorgeous, stony minerality.

The Wall Street Journal called Pouilly-Fumé the “French Sauvignon Blanc we should be drinking more often,” and this is the kind of wine they were thinking of. It’s as good as Sauvignon Blanc gets in France.