Vingt Mars: a high-flying Sauvignon from Pierres d’Aurèle

There’s something audacious about naming a wine after a day. Not a saint’s day or a commemoration, but a date like March 20th: the vernal equinox, that precise, poetic moment when day and night come to a truce. It’s a wink from the cosmos—and from the vintners at Pierres d’Aurèle, who have given us “Vingt Mars”, a white wine that seems to walk a tightrope between sun and shade with enviable poise.

Historically, equinoxes were more than just Roman calendar curiosities. In the vineyards, this date is the soft chime signaling the sève’s return—when sap slowly stirs back to life in the vine roots beneath the mineral-rich soils of the Loire Valley. As if on cue, winemakers begin to feel their own sap rising too. For centuries, this shift marked a rebirth: the ancient Gauls even threw festivals around it before the Romans gave us Bacchus and the imperial amphora.

We’ve all seen them—the Instagram posts prophesying “the freshest white ever” touting underloved bottles from unfashionable appellations. Yet this bottle sidesteps the cliché. There’s no pretentious posing here, just a quiet sense of purpose. This Loire Valley Sauvignon, organically expressive, never shouts. It speaks in a clear, harmonious tone: ripe yellow fruits, whispering floral honeysuckle, a shimmer of grapefruit and the seduction of white peach, all brought together in a mouth that’s textured and yet curiously lightfooted.

Why does it work so well? A few reasons—not least the inspired winemaking behind it. The fermentation was leisurely, spanning nearly four weeks; a patient process that lends the wine its marked freshness and aromatic clarity. Elevation in inert tanks (so not a hint of oak showbiz), combined with meticulous grape sorting and an unusually sunny vintage, gave what many consider the dream equation: vitality balanced by rounded softness.

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The result? A wine with enough nerve for a first-course ceviche, and enough charm to match grilled salmon under citrus butter. Pour it at your next lunch of oysters and friends will ask where you hid the sommelier school diploma. The Loire does this well, especially where calcareous soils lend minerality, notably on the eastern banks near Saint-Georges-sur-Cher, where Pierres d’Aurèle tends its vines. These slopes soak up sunlight at angles that seem made for Sauvignon type grapes: warm by day, cool by night—a perfect climate duet.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt to have pedigree. Vingt Mars was lavished with three stars and a “coup de cœur” in the Guide Hachette—a feat not casually dispensed. Critics seem unanimously seduced by its purity of fruit and lingering harmony. Whether it’s the whisper of exotic citrus or the round caress of a stone fruit note, the cuvée strides confidently, toeing the line between floral allure and stony precision. Some even detect a veil of honey or spice—more Gatsby’s summer shirts than syrupy weight.

You could compare it to the cinematic charm of Jacques Demy’s “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg“—sun-drenched tones, impossibly elegant balance, and a story unfolding in layers. Each sip might not bring Catherine Deneuve to your doorstep, but it does bring the Loire’s soul closer to your table.

One could go on painting its virtues. Yet the most compelling point may be its value. At just under 50 euros for a box of six direct from the domaine, it’s hard to argue with the economics of pleasure. Bundle an order with friends—ten cartons gets you not only free shipping (in France only, sorry chaps), but a bottle for every turning tide of spring.

In the end, “Vingt Mars” doesn’t chase trends. It simply lets seasonal wisdom speak in Sauvignon’s vernacular. And when a wine does that, all we really need to do is listen. Or sip.

Consider this your invitation to revisit the Loire through its crispest dialect—and to let this exceptional Sauvignon be your native speaker.

Découvrir le domaine

Domaine Les Pierres d’Aurèle

Domaine Les Pierres d’Aurèle deploys its 22 hectares of vines in the heart of the Touraine wine region. The winery offers a wide range of…