Pouilly-Fumé, an appellation of the Centre-Loire located on the right bank of the river, in the Nivernais region, opposite Sancerre, too often lacks authenticity: Alexandre Bain has brought it by asserting his ambition to produce "natural" wines that reflect the essence of the terroir more than the simple varietal profile of the Sauvignon.
Settled in the Tracy-sur-Loire area since 2007, Alexandre Bain cultivates 11 hectares of Sauvignon - also known locally as "blanc fumé" -, the king grape variety of the appellation. A variety that is too often harvested at low maturity and vinified with exogenous yeasts selected by the industry, and thus responsible for wines with a vegetal taste (even "cat's pee") that is supposedly "typical". Alexandre Bain's approach is that of biodynamic viticulture, working the vines with a horse in most of the plots, harvesting the grapes by hand when perfectly ripe, and vinification with indigenous yeasts and with little or no added sulphur: this is how a range of "natural" whites emerges that reflect the different nuances of the terroir - limestone and clay-limestone plots - and goes beyond the caricatured style of many Sauvignons. This approach is sometimes misunderstood by the authorities of the appellation's syndicate, which is why some vintages are simply given the Vin de France appellation... Authentic Pouilly wines, however!
