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2017 Vouvray “La Cuvée des Fondraux”
ChampalouAt the end of a long, draining day, you deserve to relax with a glass of this silky nectar, full of lovely notes of pear, melon, and pineapple. Les Fondraux is elegant and forthcoming, just like the Champalou family, who put all their craftsmanship into making it. Slightly off-dry and very aromatic, it will partner up nicely with spicy Thai food. If you want to stay more traditional, try it with dry goat cheese, or even some bleu, as the wine will balance with the saltiness of the cheese.
—Julia Issleib
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2017 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Chenin Blanc |
Appellation: | Vouvray |
Country: | France |
Region: | Loire |
Producer: | Champalou |
Winemaker: | Catherine & Didier Champalou |
Vineyard: | 45 years average, 4 ha |
Soil: | Clay, Limestone, Flint |
Farming: | Sustainable |
Alcohol: | 12.5% |
More from this Producer or Region
2020 Vin de France Rosé Grolleau/Cabernet Franc “Les Arceaux”
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Intensely dry and mineral, the structured Les Arceaux is a bottle to pair with a meal rather than to drink as an apéritif.
2019 Vouvray “Le Portail”
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The most serious and age-worthy of Champalou’s dry wines, it has a depth and richness of flavor that allow it to shine alongside refined cuisine.
2018 Saumur Blanc “L’Échelier”
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This chiseled Chenin Blanc comes from 70-year-old vines planted on an ancient limestone slope. Burgundian-like in character from its time spent in barrel, the laser-like acidity will become even more enticing with some age.
2019 Vin de France Rouge Grolleau/Cabernet Franc “Clandestine”
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2018 Vouvray “La Moelleuse”
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2019 Bourgueil “Les Perrières”
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There isn’t a spot in the world better suited for Cabernet Franc, and their old vines produce the raw material for one of the best reds in the Loire valley.
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Made in a fruit-forward, supple, easy-drinking style with very little added sulfur.
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 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.
More from Loire or France
2022 Saumur Champigny “Cuvée Domaine”
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2019 Vouvray “Bois Guyon”
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2020 Vouvray “La Dilettante”
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2020 Sancerre “Hameau de Reigny”
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2022 Vouvray
Champalou France | Loire
2021 Bourgueil “La Dilettante”
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2020 Chinon “Les Varennes du Grand Clos”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2022 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie
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2022 Vin de France Brut Nature “Elle est pas bulle, la vie?”
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2021 Chinon
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2022 Savennières “Cuvée Spéciale”
Château d'Epiré France | Loire
2022 Saumur Champigny “Cuvée Domaine”
Domaine des Roches Neuves France | Loire
2023 Reuilly “Les Pierres Plates”
Domaine de Reuilly France | Loire
2019 Vouvray “Bois Guyon”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2020 Vouvray “La Dilettante”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2020 Sancerre “Hameau de Reigny”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2022 Vouvray
Champalou France | Loire
2021 Bourgueil “La Dilettante”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2020 Chinon “Les Varennes du Grand Clos”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2022 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
2022 Vin de France Brut Nature “Elle est pas bulle, la vie?”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2021 Chinon
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2022 Savennières “Cuvée Spéciale”
Château d'Epiré France | Loire
Kermit once said...
Kermit once said...
If you're looking for value, look where no one else is looking.
Inspiring Thirst, page 211