Summer of Vouvray
Tasted Wednesday, August 4, 2004 by Vino Me with 1,116 views
Introduction
Otis and I decided that 2004 was going to be the Summer of Vouvray and that we would experiment with some of these wines. Otis had about 16 WS board members over to his house in August for the 2nd "Steak-Out". We started off though with some whites including 4 Vouvray. We matched these wines with some cold shrimp, some Brie, a lemon curd dip and a baked artichoke/cheddar appetizer my wife made. Most of the notes below are from that dinner. Other notes are from various Vouvray we tried over the Summer of 2004.
Some Vouvray Background- The town of Vouvray is on the eastern end of the Loire Valley. It is best known for its white wines of the same name. These wines are 100% Chenin Blanc. The Vouvray appellation was created rather recently in 1936, although the history of wine making by monks in the region dates back to the 4th century. The region is cool which normally assures good acidity in the wines.
Vouvray is considered a terroir wine which can be easily affected by the composition of the soil. Generally, a clay soil will produce a fruity flavor while those made in a more flinty soil (perruches) will be more minerally. The wine is meant to be drunk young (within 3 years of bottling) with the dessert style Moelloux being the exception. However, in top vintages examples have been known to last 100 years and were still reported to be in excellent shape. The Loire Valley had an excellent vintage in 2002. There was some rain in August but good weather in September. Parker gave the vintage 90 points. 2003 is reportedly a “Vintage of the Century” type year.
Vouvray is made in 3 primary styles. Sec (dry), Demi-Sec and Moelloux (sweet) which is often affected by noble rot. Suggested food matches include simply prepared lobster, crab, scallops or grilled salmon. Here are my notes.
2002 Régis Cruchet Vouvray Sec 89 Points
France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray
This wine is made from vines which average 40 years old. The young winemaker at this estate uses natural yeasts, neutral foudres, hand harvesting and a severe selection with up to 30% of the grapes not making the grade. The driest of the 4 Vouvray. Aromas of flowers and honey. A crisp wine with notes of green apple, peach and a backbone of minerality. Vibrant acidity. 89 points.
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2002 François Pinon Vouvray Cuvée Tradition 89 Points
France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray
2nd time I have tried this wine with similar notes. The grapes for this wine come from vineyards in the Vallee de Cousse (a highly respected site). The Cuvee Tradition is a step below Pinon's top bottlings. The wine had just a touch of sweetness to it. It had a delicate texture with notes of lime, green apples and topical fruit. Very well balance with tangy acidity. Drink this within the next year. I gave it a point or 2 less than when I first tried it. 89 points.
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2002 Domaine Pichot Vouvray Domaine Le Peu de la Moriette 90 Points
France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray
The poster formally known as the Burg Dude recently posted a thread extolling the virtues of this wine at this link. I liked this wine as well. A little sweeter than the previous 2 wines but still on the dry side of the spectrum. Notes of apple, lemon/lime and fresh peaches. Medium to long finish. 90 points.
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2001 Robert Michele Vouvray Les Trois Fils 86 Points
France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray
Talk about an excellent QPR. I bought this wine on sale at Sams in February for $4 and opened it last night. Medium pale yellow color. Medium weight and dry with notes of stone, fresh lemon and chamomile. Good acidity and balance. A refreshing wine. It's not going to knock your socks off but it was only 4 freakin dollars!!! 86-87 points.
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2002 Sauvion Vouvray 85 Points
France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray
Not as tart as I expected. Light yellowish white color. The aromatics were slightly muted when I first poured the wine because it was too cold but it opened more as the wine warmed a bit. Notes of creamy citrus fruit (Primarily lime) with apple and honey notes as well. Simple but satisfying finish. 85 points.
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2002 Domaine des Aubuisières Vouvray Les Girardières 90 Points
France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray
This is a single vineyard wine. The soil is of a Clayish-silicious type. The wine is vinified in barrel. The wines from the Girardières vineyard are made in both a dry (Sec) and semi dry (Demisec) style. The bottle I purchased did not indicate which style it was but Otis and I tasted some sweetness leading us to believe that it was the latter. The wine was a light yellow color. Very pleasant apple aromas. Round and medium bodied with the sweetness mentioned earlier. Not heavy at all and rather fruity with notes of pear and other white fruits. Good acidity holding everything together. 90 points.
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2000 Château Moncontour Vouvray Demi-Sec 87 Points
France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray
100% Chenin Blanc. Spicy nose with definite barnyard. When RD mentioned the diaper thing I said I could detect it but I did not think it was anything worse than most Barnyard or brett nuances and it did not carry over into the wine. In fact I found the wine better than I expected after smelling it. Ripe with asian spice and tropical fruit notes without any heat or heaviness. 86-87 points.
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