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2022 Vouvray
Champalou

Céline Champalou

Vouvray

The Champalou cellar
Céline Champalou’s Vouvray is always a joy to drink. The wine seems so pure, as if it bubbled up out of the limestone into a cool, limpid pool tended by nymphs and satyrs who pour it into the mouths of weary souls. That’s what I feel, anyway, when I grab a bottle from the fridge.
—Dustin Soiseth
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2022 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Chenin Blanc |
Appellation: | Vouvray |
Country: | France |
Region: | Loire |
Producer: | Champalou |
Vineyard: | 35 years average, 13.5 ha |
Soil: | Clay, Limestone |
Farming: | Sustainable |
Alcohol: | 13% |
More from this Producer or Region

2022 Jasnières “Cuvée Sainte Narcisse”
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It might be the most unusual and most delicious top-quality sweet wine you have ever tried.

2020 Saumur Champigny “La Marginale”
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Germain’s reds are grand examples of the heights biodynamic wines can achieve.

Vouvray Brut
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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.

2019 Vouvray “Bois Guyon”
France | Loire
Unique in its combination of honeyed richness and flinty verve. Hard to resist on its own, but you might also try serving it with salty-sweet yakitori or buffalo chicken wings.

2020 Saumur Blanc “Terres”
France | Loire
Redolent of almonds, honey, and a wide range of citrus, this kaleidoscopic Chenin finishes with a faint tannin, making it ideal alongside sushi, roast chicken, or a hard and flavorful cheese like Comté.

2020 Saumur Blanc “Clos Romans”
France | Loire
Thierry’s Saumur Blancs are bone-dry, high-acid, mineral Chenin Blancs that drink like Chablis young and take on weight slowly over time.

2022 Sancerre “Les Cris”
France | Loire
Simply gorgeous, the Cris is sublimely perfumed, generous on the palate, and long and saline on the elegant finish.

2020 Vin de France Rouge Cabernet Franc “Huguette”
France | Loire
Huguette is a silky, peppery Cabernet Franc from vines over a century in age.

2015 Vouvray “La Moelleuse”
France | Loire
Gently sweet yet retaining the mouthwatering acidity that Chenin from the great sites of the Loire can provide.

2022 Sancerre “Les Coutones”
France | Loire
A fleshy, full-bodied Sancerre with great freshness and the ability to age in bottle for a few years after release.
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
2016 Jasnières “Chant de Vigne”
Christine de Mianville France | Loire
2021 Chinon “Le Clos Guillot”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2020 Vin de France Rouge Cabernet Franc “Huguette”
Grange Saint Sauveur France | Loire
2020 Saumur Champigny “La Marginale”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2020 Sancerre Rouge "Champs d’Alligny"
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
Vouvray Brut “La Dilettante”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2020 Vin de France Blanche
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
2020 Chinon “Les Varennes du Grand Clos”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2023 Saumur Mousseux “Bulles de Roche”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2021 Vin de France Rosé Grolleau/Cabernet Franc “Les Arceaux”
Grange Saint-Sauveur France | Loire
2019 Vin de France Rouge Grolleau/Cabernet Franc “Clandestine”
Grange Saint-Sauveur France | Loire
2016 Chinon “Les Petites Roches” MAGNUM
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2016 Jasnières “Chant de Vigne”
Christine de Mianville France | Loire
2021 Chinon “Le Clos Guillot”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2020 Vin de France Rouge Cabernet Franc “Huguette”
Grange Saint Sauveur France | Loire
2020 Saumur Champigny “La Marginale”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2020 Sancerre Rouge "Champs d’Alligny"
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
Vouvray Brut “La Dilettante”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2020 Vin de France Blanche
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
2020 Chinon “Les Varennes du Grand Clos”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2023 Saumur Mousseux “Bulles de Roche”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2021 Vin de France Rosé Grolleau/Cabernet Franc “Les Arceaux”
Grange Saint-Sauveur France | Loire
2019 Vin de France Rouge Grolleau/Cabernet Franc “Clandestine”
Grange Saint-Sauveur France | Loire
2016 Chinon “Les Petites Roches” MAGNUM
Charles Joguet France | Loire
Vintage Chart Mentality

Vintage Chart Mentality
Trust the great winemakers, trust the great vineyards. Your wine merchant might even be trustworthy. In the long run, that vintage strip may be the least important guide to quality on your bottle of wine.—Kermit Lynch