2022 ChevernyDomaine du Salvard
France | Loire
$22
Producers
Late-harvest Vouvray is legendary. It possesses sweet lusciousness and fresh acidity, a balance that makes it immediately appealing yet allows it to age magnificently. In fact, Didier Champalou mentioned that he once enjoyed a bottle from the late 19th century! While we don’t expect you to wait that long, we do know the merits of having a great bottle or two of dessert wine on hand. “Les Tries” is one of the most unctuous and mesmerizing, and it will only continue to improve until you pull it out for that special occasion.
—Anthony Lynch
Wine Type: | dessert |
Vintage: | 2015 |
Bottle Size: | 500mL |
Blend: | Chenin Blanc |
Appellation: | Vouvray |
Country: | France |
Region: | Loire |
Producer: | Champalou |
Winemaker: | Catherine & Didier Champalou |
Vineyard: | 45 years average |
Soil: | Clay, Limestone |
Farming: | Sustainable |
Alcohol: | 10% |
Champalou France | Loire | Vouvray
Champalou France | Loire | Vouvray
Champalou France | Loire | Vouvray
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 Kimmderidgian 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.
Grange Saint-Sauveur France | Loire | Vin de France
Grange Saint-Sauveur France | Loire | Vin de France
Thierry Germain France | Loire | Saumur
Daniel Chotard France | Loire | Sancerre
Thierry Germain France | Loire | Saumur-Champigny
Daniel Chotard France | Loire | Sancerre
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire | Vouvray
Thierry Germain France | Loire | Saumur
Domaine de Reuilly France | Loire | Reuilly
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire | Muscadet Sèvre et Maine
Every three or four months I would send my clients a cheaply made list of my inventory, but it began to dawn on me that business did not pick up afterwards. It occurred to me that my clientele might not know what Château Grillet is, either. One month in 1974 I had an especially esoteric collection of wines arriving, so I decided to put a short explanation about each wine into my price list, to try and let my clients know what to expect when they uncorked a bottle. The day after I mailed that brochure, people showed up at the shop, and that is how these little propaganda pieces for fine wine were born.—Kermit Lynch
Drinking distilled spirits, beer, coolers, wine and other alcoholic beverages may increase cancer risk, and, during pregnancy, can cause birth defects. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/alcohol
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