What I Learned
Vouvray is a village, and with 7 other small villages, the name of a wine appellation in the Loire Region. Vouvray’s small area, only about 200 hectares or 5000 acres, belies its huge renown.
Just east of Tours, France, on the right (north) bank of the Loire River, the vineyards here face mostly south, sitting atop a bedrock of tufa. The soils here are a mix of clay and either flint or chalk – particularly well suited for Chenin Blanc vines. Vintners attribute these physical characteristics to the unique expression given by its Appellation Vouvray Controllee wines.
The grape grown here for Vouvray wines is Chenin Blanc, also known as Pineau de Loire. (While Pineau is pronounced the same as Pinot, the two varietals are not the same.) The Appellation Vouvray Controllee produces solely white wines, solely from this varietal. Therein lies one of the difficulties the wine-makers face. In years with cool, wet summers, Chenin Blanc grapes might not ripen well enough. The harvests from these years tend to result in highly acidic wines.
This is where the sparkling Vouvrays can come into their own. Since sparkling wines can be made from the juice of a variety of harvests, and since there is a second fermentation which adds a dosage of sugar and yeast, the resulting wine can be less acidic for, and more appealing to, most wine drinkers. Ironically, the harvests producing more acidic wines result in wines that can sometimes age quite well, becoming mellower, yet more complex, over time.
The vintners here produce several different types of wine, both sparkling (mentioned above) and still. The wine styles range from dry (sec), tending to come from average year harvests, to Off-dry (tendre) to Semi-sweet (demi-sec). Finally, during exceptional years, that is those with sunny, warm autumns, vintners might be able to produce the sweet (moelleux) wines made with botrytis-infected grapes. These make fine dessert wines.
What I Tasted
2014 Chenin Blanc, La Javeline, Sec Tendre, Appellation Vouvray Controllee, Cave des Producteurs de Vouvray: A dry white wine with light gold color; Mineral nose, with light fruit and slight floral flavors. Some acidity.
2014 Chenin Blanc, La Javeline, Demi-Sec, Appellation Vouvray Controllee, Cave des Producteurs de Vouvray: A dry white wine with light gold color; Floral nose, with honey and floral flavors. Mild acidity.
2013 Chenin Blanc, Moelleux, Appellation Vouvray Controllee, Fayette Ets: A sweet white wine with medium dark gold color; Floral nose, and floral, melon, and slight mineral flavors, with a hint of smoke; A nice complexity and good balance overall.
2008 Brut, Cuvee Clos de l’Epinay, Appellation Vouvray Controllee, Domaine Clos de l’Epinay (Luc Dumange): An off dry sparkling wine with light gold color and fine, lightly swirling bubbles; Mild floral nose; Floral, and very mild yeast notes; Some acidity, but a sweetish finish.
Brut, Cuvee Rendez-Vous, Appellation Vouvray Controllee, Cave des Producteurs de Vouvray: A dry white sparkling wine with light gold color and small, lively bubbles; Slight, fruity nose, with mild oak and citrus flavors.
Brut, Lieu-dit La Plaisse, Appellation Vouvray Controllee, Cave des Producteurs de Vouvray: A dry white sparkling wine with a medium gold color and bubbles; Green apple and citrus flavors, rather tart overall.
Brut, La Pilonniere, Appellation Vouvray Controllee, Chateau Moncontour: A dry white sparkling wine with light gold color, and fine, lively bubbles; Fruity nose, with yeasty and white fruit flavors.