Notify me
2015 Vouvray “La Moelleuse”
Champalou
This is the Champalous’ late-harvest wine, gently sweet yet retaining the mouthwatering acidity that Chenin from the great sites of the Loire can provide. Moelleux, or the feminine moelleuse, is a French word describing texture that can also be used to describe food. “Smooth” and “tender” are both translations.
Making a moelleux requires harvesting later, thus achieving higher natural sugar, which provides glycerin in the wine. The trick is to perfect the balance between the decadent textural component and a certain freshness, in order to leave the palate invigorated. The Champalous’ Moelleuse achieves just that and is one of the best ways I can think of to finish an evening at table.
—Dixon Brooke
Wine Type: | dessert |
Vintage: | 2015 |
Bottle Size: | 500mL |
Blend: | Chenin Blanc |
Appellation: | Vouvray |
Country: | France |
Region: | Loire |
Producer: | Champalou |
Winemaker: | Catherine & Didier Champalou |
Vineyard: | 20 years average, 3.5 ha |
Soil: | Clay, Limestone |
Farming: | Sustainable |
Alcohol: | 11% |
More from this Producer or Region

2024 Vouvray “Les Fondraux”
France | Loire
The contrast of ripe, succulent Chenin Blanc fruit with a spike of flinty minerality is like licking honey off an arrowhead.

2024 Vouvray “La Dilettante”
France | Loire
Delicate, precise, and succulent at the same time, this beautiful blanc will pair well with fresh seafood and light summer salads and pastas.

2023 Menetou-Salon Blanc “Le Prieuré”
France | Loire
From a small but mighty appellation boasting an impressive soil loaded with fossilized oyster shells. Peachy, finely textured, and pleasantly verdant.

2024 Sancerre
France | Loire
Textbook Sancerre: bright and citrusy, with a clean, stony finish.

2022 Chinon Blanc
France | Loire
August Club Gourmand ~ Ultra fresh and brimming with citrus blossom and orchard fruit notes, it has a saline, mineral finish that leaves my palate begging for more.

Vouvray Brut
France | Loire
From clay and limestone vineyards, they are able to obtain remarkable complexity in their Brut, while the texture shows both a creamy richness and an austere minerality.

Vouvray Brut MAGNUM
France | Loire
A bubbly for any day of the week–bone-dry and super fresh

2018 Saumur Blanc “Le Clos du Moulin”
France | Loire
Thierry Germain’s meticulous process coaxes out the delicate and aromatic side of Chenin Blanc—think jasmine, honeysuckle, and peach.

2024 Vouvray
France | Loire
Gentle and refreshing on the palate, it boasts a delightful balance of stony minerality with luscious, almost honeyed fruit and flowery notes.

2024 Bourgueil Rosé
France | Loire
Pretty and elegant, with a taste of fresh peaches and nectarines, it is perfect for your summer table.
About The Producer
Champalou
About The Region
Loire
The defining feature of the Loire Valley, not surprisingly, is the Loire River. As the longest river in France, spanning more than 600 miles, this river connects seemingly disparate wine regions. Why else would Sancerre, with its Kimmeridgian limestone terroir be connected to Muscadet, an appellation that is 250 miles away?
Secondary in relevance to the historical, climatic, environmental, and cultural importance of the river are the wines and châteaux of the Jardin de la France. The kings and nobility of France built many hundreds of châteaux in the Loire but wine preceded the arrival of the noblesse and has since out-lived them as well.
Diversity abounds in the Loire. The aforementioned Kimmeridgian limestone of Sancerre is also found in Chablis. Chinon, Bourgueil, and Saumur boast the presence of tuffeau, a type of limestone unique to the Loire that has a yellowish tinge and a chalky texture. Savennières has schist, while Muscadet has volcanic, granite, and serpentinite based soils. In addition to geologic diversity, many, grape varieties are grown there too: Cabernet Franc, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Melon de Bourgogne are most prevalent, but (to name a few) Pinot Gris, Grolleau, Pinot Noir, Pineau d’Aunis, and Folle Blanche are also planted. These myriad of viticultural influences leads to the high quality production of every type of wine: red, white, rosé, sparkling, and dessert.
Like the Rhône and Provence, some of Kermit’s first imports came from the Loire, most notably the wines of Charles Joguet and Château d’Epiré—two producers who are featured in Kermit’s book Adventures on the Wine Route and with whom we still work today.
More from Loire or France
2024 Vin de France Brut Nature “Elle est pas bulle la vie?”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2021 Bourgueil “La Dilettante”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2020 Chinon “Clos du Chêne Vert”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2022 Vin de France Rouge “Le Martray”
Grange Saint Sauveur France | Loire
2020 Saumur Blanc “Clos Romans”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2023 Savennières
Château d’Epiré France | Loire
2016 Chinon “Les Petites Roches” MAGNUM
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2024 Val de Loire Sauvignon Blanc “Unique”
Domaine du Salvard France | Loire
2022 Chinon “Cuvée Terroir”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2023 Muscadet Côtes de Grand Lieu sur lie “La Nöe”
Eric Chevalier France | Loire
2022 Bourgueil Clairet “Avis de Vin Fort”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2018 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine “Gorges”
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
2024 Vin de France Brut Nature “Elle est pas bulle la vie?”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2021 Bourgueil “La Dilettante”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2020 Chinon “Clos du Chêne Vert”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2022 Vin de France Rouge “Le Martray”
Grange Saint Sauveur France | Loire
2020 Saumur Blanc “Clos Romans”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2023 Savennières
Château d’Epiré France | Loire
2016 Chinon “Les Petites Roches” MAGNUM
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2024 Val de Loire Sauvignon Blanc “Unique”
Domaine du Salvard France | Loire
2022 Chinon “Cuvée Terroir”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2023 Muscadet Côtes de Grand Lieu sur lie “La Nöe”
Eric Chevalier France | Loire
2022 Bourgueil Clairet “Avis de Vin Fort”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2018 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine “Gorges”
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
Kermit once said...

Kermit once said...
For the wines that I buy I insist that the winemaker leave them whole, intact. I go into the cellars now and select specific barrels or cuvées, and I request that they be bottled without stripping them with filters or other devices. This means that many of our wines will arrive with a smudge of sediment and will throw a more important deposit as time goes by, It also means the wine will taste better.