2025 Valençay, Sébastien Vaillant

• Style: Vibrant, mineral Loire white
• Taste: Stone fruit, flinty snap, bright acidity, refined
• Food: Goat cheese, oysters, white fish, salads
• Occasion: Weeknight, Sunday lunch, summer drinking
• Serve: Chilled, 8–10°C
• ABV: 14%

In the Glass — Tasting Notes

Sébastien Vaillant's 2025 opens with orchard brightness—lychee, peach, apricot—followed by white peach and ripe pear on the palate. The signature mineral push, that flinty, stony grip, comes straight from the clay-flint vineyards that anchor viticulture in this corner of the Loire. Natural acidity keeps everything taut and food-friendly, making this one of the finest expressions of Sauvignon Blanc we've found that still feels fresh and unshowy.

The Winery — Sébastien Vaillant, La Cave de Valençay

Sébastien took over the family domaine in 2004 after working across France and internationally. He now oversees 31 hectares of established vines, many between 12 and 37 years old, planted on the same clay and flint soils that once supplied flintlock pistols for Napoléon's armies. The 2025 blend—80% Sauvignon Blanc from pure flint, 20% Chardonnay from sandy-limestone with stony clay—was co-fermented in stainless steel after short maceration, then aged on fine lees for a month. This restrained approach lets soil and fruit speak. Valençay achieved AOC status in 2002 and remains the only French appellation to hold the designation for both its wine and its distinctive pyramid-shaped goat cheese.

At Your Table — Food Pairing & Serving

Goat cheese is the obvious pairing—Valençay's famous chèvre was made for this wine—but the 2025 sits equally well alongside oysters, seafood with lemon butter, lighter white fish, or charcuterie and summer salads. At 14% alcohol, it's versatile and food-forward. The 2025 vintage delivered small, thick-skinned berries and stable acidity despite two summer heatwaves, so expect purity and balance. Serve chilled at 8–10°C. Explore our range of Light & Crispy White Wine to discover more expressions from this region and beyond.