Don's
Tasted Saturday, May 14, 2011 by BradKNYC with 978 views
I’ve been looking forward to this tasting since I first proposed a Foreau dinner over four years ago. Finally, this past Saturday, May 14th, at the home of Don and Melissa Rice which, not so coincidentally, was the site of the original Huet-a-thon back in ’00, the stars were in the right alignment and ten Vouvray lovers gathered for our first ever Foreau-a-thon!
Founded in 1923 by Armand Foreau, Philippe Foreau's (the current proprietor) grandfather, the domaine is five years older than Huet, though with about 12 hectares, is just shy of having 1/3 the amount of land that Huet does. Consequently, there’s just a lot less Foreau out in the market and tracking down older bottles, which is relatively easy with Huet, is pretty darn hard with Foreau. That being the case, we made things a little easier by making the theme 1989-2009, as many of us have been collecting wines since these vintages came out and they’re generally what’s available in the marketplace. I happened to spy a ’76 Moelleux Réserve recently at auction, so I bought it just to have something a little older and I hadn’t had that one before.
It was a great tasting and really gave those present a clear sense of the domaine’s style. Generally speaking, the wines of Foreau tend to lean a little austere in comparison to those of Huet with a little less upfront fruit and a little more apparent structure. On release they tend to be a little tougher and shut down quicker. That said, there can be no doubting the quality of the vineyard or the winemaking and it is rightfully considered tops in the AOC with Huet.
2002 Foreau Domaine du Clos Naudin Vouvray Pétillant Brut Réserve
France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray Pétillant
Fresh, crisp and a touch austere with biscuit, pear, quince and mineral flavors and aromas. There's nice depth and complexity here and the wine shows a fine bead. Picks up some bitter almond and citrus pith on the finish. B+/A-.
Read 1 Comment / Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
NV Foreau Domaine du Clos Naudin Vouvray Pétillant Brut Cuvée 2004-2005 Flawed
France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray Pétillant
Corked. NR.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue