Loupiac, a sweet Gironde wine, delicately and elegantly reveals the poetry of this terroir. Just 40 km from Bordeaux, close to the Garonne River and in the Entre deux Mers region, this precious sweet wine has acquired its letters of nobility with complete legitimacy. Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée since 1936, Loupiac bears the name of the aforementioned commune.
Château Dauphiné-Rondillon is one of the most sought-after estates in France. In the hands of the same family for eight generations, it perpetuates the notion of savoir-faire and history. Today, Sandrine and Jean-Christophe, two of the Darriet children, look after the estate. The former is responsible for promoting the precious beverage around the world, while the latter optimizes the vines and skillfully elaborates the cuvées. 
In 2005, they decided to give new impetus and visibility to Château dauphiné-Rondillon. Exporting seemed an ideal option. The choice proved to be a good one. Asia, and Japan in particular, were targeted. In 2006, Sandrine Darriet made her first trip to Japan and has returned every year since. This elegant loupiac seduced Japanese aesthetes. Suntory was impressed by this refined sweet wine and chose to distribute it. The packaging was adapted to the Japanese market, with top-of-the-range screw caps chosen for seven cuvées. During one of her travels, Sandrine met Tadashi Agi, the author of Les Gouttes de Dieu, a sought-after manga. The book is about an oenologist, Yataka Kanzaki, and his sons. The sons must identify 12 wines described by their father to gain possession of his mythical cellar. Twelve wines and a thirteenth, Les Gouttes de Dieu, are revealed in the course of a thrilling investigation. Numéro 24, published in 2009 in Japan and 2012 in France, mentions for the first time a Loupiac, that of the Darriet family, discovered by the author during one of his trips to the Bordeaux region.
To highlight the possibilities of wine, an evening tasting was organized. Many parallels were drawn with Japanese gastronomy. The wine was tested with tangy Japanese plums, yuzu and a few other dishes. The search for the fifth flavor, Japanese umami, became obvious. Between roundness, saltiness and gourmandise, the precious nuance is envisaged. A tea ceremony clarifies the complementary notes of Loupiac and Matcha.
On the nose, the aromas reveal themselves. On the palate, accents of candied orange, silkiness and freshness are seductive. Produced from a blend of Semillon (70%), Sauvignon Blanc (20%) and Muscadelle (10%), the wine is beautifully complex. The choice of botrytization encourages this.
The over-ripe grapes are picked, one by one, by hand. They transcribe the aromatic richness of the grape varieties and the typicity of the terroir. From 2014 to earlier vintages, the evolution is noticeable. Less lively, more unusual, the wine is intriguing. Undeniably, the result captures attention.
To be discovered, among others, at Lavinia,…
Photo credits Lavinia, Sofia LAFAYE
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