François Lurton launches Sauvignon Blanc gin

Bordeaux-born winemaker François Lurton has launched a gin for wine lovers with a Sauvignon Blanc base.

François Lurton has branched out into gin production

Lurton gets his Sauvignon grapes from Gascony in southwest France, which he distills into a fresh and aromatic base distillate for Sorgin.

Describing the spirit as “a winemaker’s gin”, among the botanicals Lurton adds to the distillate are grapefruit zest, lemon, violets, gorse, lime zest and redcurrant buds.

Juniper is not added in its pure form, but as a distillate, to avoid its dominant aromatics masking the delicate notes in the Sauvignon Blanc.

Lurton describes the gin as “complex with fruity notes, vegetal aromas, a pronounced mouthfeel and great aromatic intensity”. He also believes it has “great length” and that the notes of violet and juniper are “perfectly balanced”.

The gin, made in collaboration with Lurton’s partner Sabine Jaren, is named after the Basque word for ‘sorceress’. The pair picked the name Sorgin as they feel it “embodies the spirit of festivity and moments of sharing”.

The Bordeaux gin, which launched last week, comes in at 43% abv. Lurton recommends garnishing it with a slice or orange or grapefruit.

Lurton is a fifth generation member of the famous Lurton family of Bordeaux, who have been producing wine in the French region since 1897.

Lurton makes wine all over the world, from Moldova to Mendoza via Spain, Chile and Australia and has recently become passionate about organic viticulture.

He founded Campo Elisio Toro and Campo Elisio Rueda with renowned Bordeaux consultant Michel Rolland.

The craze for new gins is showing no sign of slowing. Just last week London’s Portobello Road Gin launched the world’s gin made with a turkey breast. 

The gin is made by redistilling Portobello Road’s signature 171 blend with an organic turkey breast and 13 botanicals including apples, pears, plums, currants, raisins, sultanas, apricots and brown rice.

Meanwhile, the Conservative party’s 1922 Committee plans to release a gin called ‘1922 Gin’ to show its support for the British gin industry.