François Chidaine has an unsurpassed reputation in the Middle Loire regions of Montlouis, Vouvray and Touraine. Certified biodynamic farming is something he has long practiced, but like many producers, he does not acknowledge this on his labels for fear of the negative connotations and confusion still lingering in the U.S. market from “Organic Wine” of the 1980s. A “USDA Organic Wine” label means that a wine was not only made with organically grown grapes, but that it was made with no preserving sulfur, so many “Organic” wines from that time (and even today) were funky and the purchasers of those wines often remain wary. Wines made with organically-grown grapes, however, use sulfur and are sounder than their conventionally farmed competitors, consistently winning blind taste tests, but the hesitancy of producers to put any reference to organic, or biodynamic, remains. Regardless, this Sauvignon Blanc is great. It has a touch more fruit and less minerality than its cousin from the Eastern Loire, Sancerre, but is amazingly elegant for this price point. This is a very young wine that might need a little air after opening to blow-off some hoppy, reduction aromas, but with a little patience, you’ll have a week-nighter you might well want to stock up on, as this wine sells out quickly every year.