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Drink of the week: the Holy Snail Sauvignon Blanc 2016, Loire Valley

 
Tampa Bay Times
Published Feb. 19, 2018

With the weather turning toward spring, so do our appetites — from hearty comfort food to lighter, fresher flavors.

That goes for wine as well, and one lively choice is the Holy Snail Sauvignon Blanc 2016 from the Joel Delaunay winery in the Loire Valley.

In France, sauvignon blanc grapes are often used to make the classic white Sancerre, characterized by flinty minerality and citrus notes. Holy Snail is made with sauvignon blanc grapes from across the Touraine region of the Loire by fifth-generation French winemaker Thierry Delaunay, but it goes in another direction entirely.

Its style is most like that of Australian sauvignon blancs: lots of fruit, especially gooseberry and grapefruit, and a softer flavor overall.

Holy Snail, available at wine-savvy markets at about $15, announces that Australian style with its aroma of funky gooseberry, melon and grass.

The flavors are a robust mouthful of fruit: pineapple, cantaloupe, grapefruit, peach, with a touch of honey and a pop of lime on the crisp finish. There's just a hint of the mineral mark of a Sancerre.

Holy Snail would be a fine choice for porch sipping on spring evenings. It would also pair beautifully with a platter of chilly oysters, a plate of soft cheeses like Brie and Gorgonzola, or a salad of greens, roasted baby beets and goat cheese.

Colette Bancroft, Times staff writer