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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

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Dry Champagne-method sparkler that delivers tremendous value.

2023 Pouilly-Fumé “Vieilles Vignes”
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2024 Cheverny
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2021 Bourgueil “La Dilettante”
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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.

2020 Saumur Champigny “Clos de l’Échelier”
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2022 Quincy “Vieilles Vignes”
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Pierre’s old-vine Quincy has a mouth-coating texture and charming notes of tangerine that are certain to earn this great appellation the following it deserves.

2023 Sancerre Rouge
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2024 Sancerre Rosé
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Sancerre Rosé is made from Pinot Noir grown in Kimmeridgian limestone soil, and the Neveu family’s interpretation is fine, floral, crisp, and bone-dry.

2016 Jasnières “Chant de Vigne”
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A single-vineyard bottling whose age lends a soft, drawn butter richness to its bright, tart citrus palate.
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
2020 Vin de France Rosé Grolleau/Cabernet Franc “Les Arceaux”
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2020 Bourgueil “Les Perrières”
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2020 Vin de France Rouge Grolleau/Cabernet Franc “Clandestine”
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2023 Val de Loire Rouge Grolleau
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2021 Chinon “La Croix Boissée”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2023 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie
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2020 Chinon “Clos du Chêne Vert”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2018 Saumur Blanc “L’Échelier”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2023 Vouvray “Pierres Rousses”
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Vouvray Brut
Champalou France | Loire
2023 Savennières “Cuvée Spéciale”
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2023 Chinon Rosé
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2020 Vin de France Rosé Grolleau/Cabernet Franc “Les Arceaux”
Grange Saint-Sauveur France | Loire
2020 Bourgueil “Les Perrières”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2020 Vin de France Rouge Grolleau/Cabernet Franc “Clandestine”
Grange Saint Sauveur France | Loire
2023 Val de Loire Rouge Grolleau
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2021 Chinon “La Croix Boissée”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2023 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
2020 Chinon “Clos du Chêne Vert”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2018 Saumur Blanc “L’Échelier”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2023 Vouvray “Pierres Rousses”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
Vouvray Brut
Champalou France | Loire
2023 Savennières “Cuvée Spéciale”
Château d’Epiré France | Loire
2023 Chinon Rosé
Charles Joguet 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