2018 Domaine de La Coche Sauvignon Pays de Retz 750 ml

While our lunch companions stole furtive glances at the latest Marvel star du jour, we couldn’t tear our eyes away from this luminous Sauvignon Blanc from Domaine de la Coche. A starlet in its own right at $16 a bottle, this has all the chalky limestone minerality, white pepper, and floral complexity of a Sancerre at less than half the price. An overperformer that proved a natural fit for our glamorous setting, we instantly knew this white was destined for Wine Access members. 

As the Sunset Strip’s most notorious celebrity hideaway, the storied 1929 hotel Chateau Marmont is the best spot in Los Angeles for A-list sightings, stunning architecture, and—this one was news to us—surprising wine discoveries:

In the afternoon sun, the gold and platinum sheen in our glass created a prism-like glow under the canopy of the hotel restaurant’s magnificent courtyard. A collector friend had brought us for a dose of classic Hollywood, but it was easy to feel we had been transported to a Loire Valley castle, thanks to this Sauvignon Blanc’s classic Old World character. 

The bouquet’s jasmine and chamomile aromas were further elevated with hints of fresh ginger, guava, and peppery spice. Rejuvenating and lively, the palate is full of zesty lime peel, freshly picked guava, and all that classic Loire minerality. It’s so energetic and perfect now, but it has the bones to keep refreshing for years to come—if you can keep your hands off of it. We wasted no time tracking down the producer the very next day.  

Though its tension and purity rival some of the best Sauvignon Blanc examples from its Sancerre sister region, this wine hails from the opposite end of the Loire Valley. Situated south-west of Nantes in the heart of the tiny subregion of Pays de Retz, Domaine de la Coche sits right along the Loire River, just twelve miles before it deposits into the Atlantic Ocean. Cool, maritime breezes help keep acids high in the Sauvignon Blanc, while the domaine’s diverse soils help imbue the grapes with their creamy, mineral-laden character. 

Domaine de la Coche was founded by Emmanuel and Laurent Guitteny, two cousins who wanted to combine their years of independent winemaking experience to prove that value wines can also reflect an artisanal, site-specific approach. Handcrafted from budbreak to bottle, their wines have become runaway hits among savvy French sommeliers and within the pages of the Guide Hachette (France’s best-selling wine guide). 

No one loves a word-of-mouth deal more than the rich and famous, so it’s easy to see why this 2018 Loire Sauvignon Blanc is already a staple with Sunset’s sommelier to the stars. We redirected some of the scant US allocation north to Wine Access HQ, where it will remain a privileged cellar staple of our own, while it lasts.