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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

2017 Jasnières “Chant de Vigne”
France | Loire
A single-vineyard bottling whose age lends a soft, drawn butter richness to its bright, tart citrus palate.

2020 Saumur Blanc “L’Échelier”
France | Loire
This dry Chenin Blanc is etched from the white limestone beneath—crystalline, pure, and chiseled.

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

2023 Chinon “Les Petites Roches” Blanc
France | Loire
A delightfully lean and bright blanc from Charles Joguet that leaves me yearning to exclaim, “This smells like a green apple picked fresh from a lemon tree!”

2020 Chinon “Clos de la Dioterie”
France | Loire
Age-worthy red from one of Chinon’s top sites, by a storied domaine.

2021 Chinon “Les Petites Roches”
France | Loire
Showing off Cabernet in its most delicate, charming form, rife with aromas of roses, damp earth, and little red berries.

2021 Chinon Blanc “Les Charmes”
France | Loire
The singularity and beauty of Chenin Blanc really shines with a bit of age, which is what makes this wine so special to enjoy now.

2023 Chinon Rosé
France | Loire
April Club Gourmand ~ Matthieu Baudry captures both youthful fruit and energizing mineral textures with this rosé.

2021 Vin de France Blanc “Chenin Centenaire”
France | Loire
Fermented and aged in barrel and bottled unfiltered, it features a delightful kiss of oak on the long, bracing, mouth-watering finish.

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.
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 Saumur Champigny “La Marginale”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2023 Coteaux du Loir Blanc
Pascal Janvier France | Loire
2023 Val de Loire Rouge Grolleau
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2023 Jasnières
Pascal Janvier France | Loire
2023 Saumur Mousseux “Bulles de Roche”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2022 Quincy “Château de Quincy”
Domaine Trotereau France | Loire
2021 Saumur Champigny “La Marginale”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2021 Vin de France Blanc “Chenin Centenaire”
Grange Saint-Sauveur France | Loire
2022 Sancerre Rouge
Domaine Hippolyte Reverdy France | Loire
2023 Chinon Rosé
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2021 Chinon “Le Clos Guillot”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2022 Bourgueil “Franc de Pied”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2020 Saumur Champigny “La Marginale”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2023 Coteaux du Loir Blanc
Pascal Janvier France | Loire
2023 Val de Loire Rouge Grolleau
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2023 Jasnières
Pascal Janvier France | Loire
2023 Saumur Mousseux “Bulles de Roche”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2022 Quincy “Château de Quincy”
Domaine Trotereau France | Loire
2021 Saumur Champigny “La Marginale”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2021 Vin de France Blanc “Chenin Centenaire”
Grange Saint-Sauveur France | Loire
2022 Sancerre Rouge
Domaine Hippolyte Reverdy France | Loire
2023 Chinon Rosé
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2021 Chinon “Le Clos Guillot”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2022 Bourgueil “Franc de Pied”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
Kermit once said...

Kermit once said...
A good doctor prescribed the wine of Nuits-Saint-Georges to the Sun King, Louis XIV, when he suffered an unknown maladie. When the king’s health was restored the tasty remedy enjoyed a vogue at court. Lord, send me a doctor like that!
Inspiring Thirst, page 117