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Reuilly might not be as fun or easy to say as Sancerre—the renowned Loire Valley appellation an hour east—but the white wines that come from this small AOC can be every bit as beautiful and pleasurable to drink. In many ways, the two appellations are not that different. To start, the white wines are both 100% Sauvignon Blanc. And, like in Chablis, both appellations have a substantial amount of Kimmeridgian limestone or marl in their soils. Despite its under-the-radar status, Reuilly is also endowed with a notable amount of ancient marine deposits. Unlike most of us, Denis Jamain of Domaine de Reuilly can walk out into his organically and biodynamically farmed vineyards and pick up pieces of fossilized seashells dating back 150 million years to the Jurassic period, inspiring this cuvée’s name. Les Fossiles is crisp and mineral, with notes of chamomile, green apple, and citrus. A wine doesn’t need to come from seashells to perfectly complement shellfish, but this gorgeous blanc—like your favorite Chablis—proves that it certainly doesn’t hurt.

- Kermit Lynch Selections

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