Pabiot Fume Blanc "Les Chantebines" 1997

Like the "singing cicadas" that Pabiot’s Pouilly Fume is names after (Les Chantebines means singing cicadas in the local dialect), this estate’s wine seems to sing from the glass. It combines floral, fruity and herbal tones that carry through on the palate. Well balanced and full-bodied, it exhibits all the flinty, citrus, freshly mown grass characteristics that have earned Pouilly Fume its place among the world’s most distinctive wines.

Known as the perfect summertime wine and the quintessential fish wine, Pouilly Fume also makes for a great aperitif. After half a glass or so, you’ll be surprised how fast this wine will disappear. Of course, it also makes an ideal pairing with traditional seafood, fish, poultry and cheese dishes, especially those that contain goat’s cheese. However, our all-time favorite combination is several plates of oysters with a bottle of the Pabiot Fume Blanc on the table, and two or more bottles in the refrigerator. Enjoy!

Sitting astride the mighty Loire, France’s longest river, Pouilly Fume shares with neighboring Sancerre the distinction of producing the world’s most renowned Sauvignon Blanc. In fact, it is Pouilly Fume that lends its name to Fume Blanc, its illustrious dry American Sauvignon Blanc counterpart. The name "fume", meaning smoke, summarizes the flinty, herbal, smokey qualities that make Pouilly Fume so attractive with shellfish, and just about anything else that swims. Tended by Jean Pabiot and his son Alain, this Pouilly Fume estate claims five generations of viticultural tradition. Combining traditional know-how with modern technology, Pabiot produces excellent Pouilly Fume and Sancerre from 67 acres of chalky soil - a soil, rich in marine fossils, that experts agree is perfect for the cultivation of Sauvignon Blanc.