Domaine Philippe Tessier Cour-Cheverny (Romorantin) Les Sables 2024 SF Chronicle Sweet Chenin Blanc from the

Sweet Chenin Blanc from the hills along the Layon river in the Loire

or charcuterie

Dry in style and laser-focused on celebrating juniper

Gianni Doglia is among its leading producers

Domaine Philippe Tessier Cour-Cheverny (Romorantin) Les Sables 2024 SF Chronicle Sweet Chenin Blanc from theLes Sables is named for what it grows in: sand and silica over limestone bedrock, Cour Cheverny's recipe for a white that is all nerve. It's 100% Romorantin a grape that exists nowhere on the planet but this fifty hectare corner of the Loire from vines twenty to forty years old. Tessier ferments with native yeasts and ages the wine in foudre and demi muid before a stretch in stainless steel, which puts flesh on the frame without leaving any oak taste