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2019 Vouvray “La Cuvée des Fondraux”
ChampalouThis wine is une merveille—a marvel. To drink, to recommend, to bring to a party, to open at dinner. When it accompanies salty, briny appetizers, its brightly mineral side shines, but even alongside the spiciest Indian specialties, its audacious fruit and slight sweetness are completely undaunted. It is the poster child of versatility in a glass. I have yet to find a dish it can’t make more interesting or a diehard bone-dry devotee it can’t convert to the wonders of off-dry Chenin Blanc. Put briefly, it is one of my go-to wines, and I have utter confidence it should become one of yours.
—Emily Spillmann
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2019 |
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, Silex |
Farming: | Sustainable |
Alcohol: | 12.5% |
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2022 Vouvray “Les Fondraux”
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The contrast of ripe, succulent Chenin Blanc fruit with a spike of flinty minerality is like licking honey off an arrowhead.
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You’ll appreciate the distinctive flavor profile: born from warmer soils, it tastes of ripe, succulent citrus devoid of grassiness, while boasting the same flinty nerve as a good Sancerre.
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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.
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2022 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie
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Kermit once said...
Kermit once said...
If you're looking for value, look where no one else is looking.
Inspiring Thirst, page 211