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Vouvray Brut
Champalou
Made from Chenin Blanc in the Champagne method, this cuvée is the quintessential apéritif sparkling wine. Notes of apple and pear and a fine bead pair perfectly with Loire Valley chèvres, but if you would like to try a cheese from beyond the Loire, consider an aged Comté alongside roasted walnuts.
—Tom Wolf
Wine Type: | sparkling |
Vintage: | NV |
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% |
More from this Producer or Region

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.

2020 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.

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.

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.

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

2022 Sancerre Rouge “Le Chant de l’Archet”
France | Loire
The Chotards are some of the lucky few who have Sancerre parcels that are ideal for growing Pinot Noir, and theirs have been planted to Pinot for well over fifty years, so the vines are at full maturity.

2021 Chinon “Le Clos Guillot”
France | Loire
Even though all of the wines hail from Chinon, the soil, elevation, and exposition all combine to make Le Clos Guillot their cuvée with the most finesse.

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.

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!”

2023 Saumur Mousseux “Bulles de Roche”
France | Loire
This sparkling wine has decadently rich, honeyed fruit and a nice dollop of buttery brioche.
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
2022 Chinon “Les Petites Roches”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2023 Jasnières “Cuvée du Silex”
Pascal Janvier France | Loire
2021 Chinon “Le Clos Guillot”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2020 Saumur Champigny “Outre Terre”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2022 Sancerre “Les Coutones”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2023 Chinon “Les Granges”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2022 Bourgueil “Franc de Pied”
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2024 Cheverny
Domaine du Salvard France | Loire
2023 Menetou-Salon Blanc “Le Prieuré”
Prieuré de Saint Céols France | Loire
2016 Chinon “Les Petites Roches” MAGNUM
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2019 Vouvray “Bois Guyon”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Bourgueil Clairet “Avis de Vin Fort”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Chinon “Les Petites Roches”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2023 Jasnières “Cuvée du Silex”
Pascal Janvier France | Loire
2021 Chinon “Le Clos Guillot”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2020 Saumur Champigny “Outre Terre”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2022 Sancerre “Les Coutones”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2023 Chinon “Les Granges”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2022 Bourgueil “Franc de Pied”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2024 Cheverny
Domaine du Salvard France | Loire
2023 Menetou-Salon Blanc “Le Prieuré”
Prieuré de Saint Céols France | Loire
2016 Chinon “Les Petites Roches” MAGNUM
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2019 Vouvray “Bois Guyon”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Bourgueil Clairet “Avis de Vin Fort”
Catherine & Pierre Breton 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.