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Vouvray Brut
ChampalouThe Champalous make the finest sparkling wine in France outside of Champagne. Their secret? Pampered Chenin Blanc vines farmed in high-quality limestone soils and hand-riddled in their small family cellar. The talented Céline Champalou is pictured on the cover of this brochure, surveying and sharing her latest vinous exploits.
—Dixon Brooke
Wine Type: | sparkling |
Vintage: | N.V. |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
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: | 13.5% |
More from this Producer or Region
2019 Vouvray “Le Portail”
France | Loire
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.
2019 Vin de France Rouge Grolleau/Cabernet Franc “Clandestine”
France | Loire
A lovely combination of Grolleau Noir and Cabernet Franc, there seems to be a synergistic effect elevating both grapes to create a juicy, spicy, refreshing whole.
2018 Vouvray “La Moelleuse”
France | Loire
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.
2022 Muscadet “Le Clos de la Butte”
France | Loire
Crafted less than 20 miles from the Atlantic coast, this exquisite Muscadet is a perfect reflection of where it originates, as if it’s been sculpted by winds off the ocean and infused with hints of sea salt in the air.
2022 Anjou Rouge “Clos de la Cerisaie”
France | Loire
It is a lively, brisk wine, showcasing pristine red fruit and a hint of herbs over a firm foundation of stony acidity.
2019 Bourgueil “Les Perrières”
France | Loire
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.
2022 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.
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.
2022 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.
2019 Chinon “Clos du Chêne Vert”
France | Loire
Chinons from Joguet are known for their firm minerality, but this one is quite charming as well, with plummy black fruit, myrtle, and notes of warm licorice.
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
Touraine “Fines Bulles”
Domaine de la Chanteleuserie France | Loire
2022 Sancerre Rosé “Le Colombier”
Domaine Roger Neveu France | Loire
2020 Saumur Blanc “Clos Romans”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2021 Vin de France Blanc “Centenaire”
Grange Saint-Sauveur France | Loire
2019 Saumur Blanc “L’Insolite”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2022 Bourgueil Clairet “Avis de Vin Fort”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Bourgueil “Trinch!”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Saumur Champigny “La Foulée”
Domaine des Roches Neuves France | Loire
2020 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Clisson “La Molette”
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
2020 Chinon “La Croix Boissée”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2020 Chinon “Les Varennes du Grand Clos”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2022 Muscadet “Le Clos de la Butte”
Eric Chevalier France | Loire
Touraine “Fines Bulles”
Domaine de la Chanteleuserie France | Loire
2022 Sancerre Rosé “Le Colombier”
Domaine Roger Neveu France | Loire
2020 Saumur Blanc “Clos Romans”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2021 Vin de France Blanc “Centenaire”
Grange Saint-Sauveur France | Loire
2019 Saumur Blanc “L’Insolite”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2022 Bourgueil Clairet “Avis de Vin Fort”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Bourgueil “Trinch!”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Saumur Champigny “La Foulée”
Domaine des Roches Neuves France | Loire
2020 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Clisson “La Molette”
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
2020 Chinon “La Croix Boissée”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2020 Chinon “Les Varennes du Grand Clos”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2022 Muscadet “Le Clos de la Butte”
Eric Chevalier 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.