2022 Chateau de Suronde L'Esquisse Anjou Blanc 750 ml

Château de Suronde’s L'Esquisse Anjou Blanc is a true rarity: a dry white wine from the beating heart of the Quarts de Chaume, the Loire Valley’s sole Grand Cru, one better-known for luscious dessert wines. 

Quarts de Chaume is tiny: It sits within the Coteaux du Layon appellation (in Anjou), and in it, 20 producers combine to make just 50,000 bottles of Quarts de Chaume per year. Compare that with Sauternes/Barsac, where 5 MILLION bottles are produced every year. Turns out that this Grand Cru terroir is also perfect for dry wines, and fewer wineries are better-positioned to deliver on this promise than Château de Suronde.

Belgian proprietors Kathleen Van den Berghe and Sigurd Mareels have owned Château de Suronde since 2016. Their seven-hectare vineyard is farmed biodynamically and certified by Demeter, like nearly all of France’s most conscientious growers. Of their vines, 5.5 hectares fall under the Quarts de Chaume appellation, and that’s where this gorgeous white comes from—but it uses the Anjou appellation because it is dry.

Top-class, dry Chenin Blanc like this from the Loire Valley is one of France’s single most underappreciated categories. We loved how this wine’s crisp green apple and juicy pear take center stage on both the nose and palate, supported by hints of citrus zest and tropical fruits. The mouthfeel is elegant and refined, with a perfect balance between weight and freshness. Pair this with something like poached monkfish with tarragon beurre blanc. Sublime!