In the shadow of Tours’ Grand Théâtre, Christophe Gautronneau plays his part in the spectacle of living wines. With a stint at Le Berlot in Montlouis-sur-Loire under his belt, the owner earned himself a solid reputation in the world of Tours wines, something you’ll realize more fully while eyeballing his selection of natural and local gems: Feuilles de Rose, a fresh 2018 Pineau d’Aunis produced by Sylvain Leest (€14); Gallus, a taut 2019 Vouvray from Alexandre Gicquel (€22), Coup D’jus, a round Malbec produced by Julien Pineau (€17)… In short, nothing but leading roles for these bottles. // Henri Depecker 

The bullet-proof bottle: Blanc de Pierre, a 2018 Orbois from the aforementioned Sylvain Leest (€15).