2019 Domaine du Clos Naudin – Philippe Foreau, Vouvray Sec, Loire Valley, France.
The maturing, golden hued and nutty 2019 Vouvray Sec from Domaine du Clos Naudin and the Foreau family is bone dry with yellow fruit, chalk and dried pecan aromas that leads to a medium bodied palate of peach, dried cider apple, lemony citrus and earthy muskmelon fruits, accented by wet stone, honey, bitter almond, a hunt of herb and chamomile. The classic tuffeau limestone here in Vouvray really makes its presence felt in this crisp, pure and evolving Chenin Blanc that gains just enough textural please and depth to be taken seriously and allows it to be a good companion to roast poultry dishes and starter courses. As Foreau’s importer Rosenthal notes, the Foreaus have always made their wines in the same low-key way, with a natural fermentation and aging in ancient barriques. The wines have blocked malolactic fermentation, never any chaptalization, and there is a clear thread connecting current vintages to past vintages. Philippe Foreau’s wines age remarkably well, Rosenthal continues, and from my own experiences I’d agree.
Philippe Foreau is the third generation of the Foreau family to produce Vouvray from Domaine du Clos Naudin, this fabled Loire Valley estate which his grandfather purchased back in 1923. Philippe assumed the direction of the domaine in 1983 upon the retirement of his father, Andre. According to importer Neal Rosenthal, since 2015, Philippe works alongside his son Vincent now, who will continue the family’s tradition of crafting some of most sought after Chenin Blancs in the world. The Domaine du Clos Naudin has close to 11 hectares planted all to Chenin Blanc, and is located in the northeast corner of Vouvray with 100% south/southeast/southwest exposures on chalky limestone hillsides. The principal vineyards, Rosenthal adds, are known as “Les Perruches” and “Les Ruettes” which provide the core complexity of these wines, with a traditional range of sweetness. I have had a number of Foreau offerings over the years, and they always charm with old world character, while not flashy Vouvray, they are rewarding and intriguing efforts, as this one shows. Foreau has Champagne method Chenin bubbly too, which are a delight if you can find them and their dense, sweet and elegant Moelleux bottlings are highly collectible for enthusiasts of the style.
($58 Est.) 91 Points, grapelive