2021 POUILLY FUMÉ, Cuvée Léon. Domaine Jonathan-Didier Pabiot. France

100% Sauvignon Blanc

Jonathan is the fifth generation of Pabiot’s to have worked in Pouilly. His grandfather, Lucien and father, Didier, were principally coopérateurs, and the modern era really began when he built an all new, modern cellar above the hamlet of Les Loges in 1990 and began to bottle their own wines.

Jonathan studied viticulture at the local college but dropped out, as the lessons contained too much theory and too little practice.

Instead, he went to work at Domaine Léon Barral, then returned to Les Loges in 2006 and, with 2.5 hectares of vines granted to him by his father, and a further one hectare which he rented, Jonathan produced his first wine. Within a year, he had managed to convince his somewhat sceptical father to convert to organic methods, with certification awarded with the 2010 vintage. He might be one of only three growers (out of the 150 active in the appellation) to farm organically, yet it’s a conscious decision by Jonathan not to exploit the fact on his label.

By 2011, Jonathan was considered by Didier to have “worked his apprenticeship” and the two combined their 18 hectares. Whilst the cellar is in Les Loges, the vineyards are stretched wide across the appellation, encompassing five communes in total. This range of soils ensures that there is diversity in the style of the different cuvées, and the variation in sites acts as an insurance policy against the perpetual threats of frost and hail. This was something very important in 2021 when late spring frosts caused widespread damage and significant reduction in yields.

Jonathan produces several different cuvées, and some are named after his children – here Léon.

100% Sauvignon Blanc, of course, grapes are grown on a mix of limestone and flint soils from a 15ha plot. The average age of the vines is 30 years. Yields were dramatically down due to the harvest conditions, but what survived reached fine levels of ripeness with excellent levels of acidity. Fermentation was carried with indigenous yeasts mainly in stainless steel and concrete but with a small proportion (20%) of used French oak barrels. The wine was then further aged on lees for 12 months in a mix of stainless stell and concrete.

This is a textural Pouilly, bone dry, nicely aromatic, with a fine blend of bright citrus fruit and taut mineral notes, elevated by fresh acidity. Elegant and refined with a sense of place.