Henri Bourgeois Jadis Pouilly-Fumé AOC

Pouilly-Fumé AOC, France

Henri Bourgeois's prestige Pouilly-Fumé from old-vine silex and limestone plots, barrel-aged for textural richness. A more accessible expression of the appellation's mineral character than Dagueneau's single-vineyard wines — aromatic white flower, citrus, and gun-flint notes over a round, textured palate with good mineral length.

Pairing intelligence

• cheese: The Loire Valley goat's cheese tradition — from Sancerre and Pouilly — is inseparable from its local Sauvignon Blanc; this pairing has centuries of regional logic behind it
• starter: Sauvignon Blanc's herbaceous character and acidity are calibrated for asparagus; smoked salmon adds the oceanic dimension that the wine's silex minerality naturally supports