Foreau Vouvray Brut

The Wine... This wine is aged several years longer than is common for Vouvray Brut. Want to find a secret behind Foreau's success? How about 48 months on the lees, after nearly a month of natural, long, slow, and cool fermentation. This extra development may be part of why the wine is miles ahead of the regional standard. Philippe Foreau stopped chaptalizing his wines 25 years ago. Domaine du Clos Naudin blows away most Vouvray. If you think you don't like Chenin Blanc in general or Vouvray in particular, the is the estate that may change your mind about this often underrated wine. 25,000 bottles of this bubbly are made annually. Foreau avoids malolactic fermentation, preferring to highlight the bright character Chenin can produce in its native land. Granny Smith apple and chalk are admirable qualities. Ripe but still razor-sharp, and thankfully only 11.5% alcohol. Go ahead, have another glass....

The Estate... The Foreau family have been farming grapes in Vouvray since 1923. Philippe took over from his father Andre in 1983. Today the Domaine du Clos Naudin cover almost 12 hectares. All of the vines are Chenin Blanc, and all are located to the northeast of the town of Vouvray.

The Farming... Foreau follows organic vineyard practices, avoiding the use of chemical herbicides and fertilizers. Yields are low, less than 30 hectoliters per hectare. All Foreau's fruit is hand-picked in successive passes through his fields to yield grapes of optimal ripeness for each of the various bottlings Clos Naudin prodcues in a given vintage.