Domaine Mauro Guicheney "À l’abri du Monde" Côtes de Duras Blanc, Duras, France 2019

FROM ROSENTHAL:

THE WINE: Corine’s “À l’abri du Monde” Blanc, which translates to “Shelter from the World,” blends 70% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Sauvignon Gris from upper-hill parcels of poor limestone-heavy soil. Spontaneously fermented, it is both vinified and aged in stainless steel, spending the better part of a year on its fine lees; it undergoes a slow and natural malolactic fermentation, and is bottled with no additions except a touch of sulfur. Precise, clean, and chiseled, it leads with minerality rather than fruit, and its texture is simultaneously generous and refined.

THE PRODUCER: Corine Mauro and her partner Didier own 30 hectares of vines on slopes overlooking the town of Duras, 18 of which are Bordeaux AOC and 12 of which are classified as Côtes de Duras. On our first visit, we were startled: expecting something like the ultra-gentle rolling landscape of Bordeaux proper, we instead encountered hills of notable gradient—“une petite Toscane” (“a little Tuscany”), as Corine remarked. Her vineyards glowed with health, rosebushes flanking each row and trees interspersed regularly; the domaine obtained organic certification in 2011 and biodynamic certification in 2020, and it shows. In fact, Corine herself glows with health as well, a classic exemplar of Neal’s beloved axiom: If you know the person, you know the wines. Small in stature but visibly strong, and sporting a deep tan won through hours of farming, she speaks about her approach with detail and clarity—qualities that manifest themselves in her wines.