"Take another glass of wine. You’ve earned it. You must line your inside with velvet if you are going to pump at it like that every day. Monsieur, the wine of Vouvray, if well kept, is downright velvet."

– L’Illustre Gaudissart, Honoré Balzac (published 1833)

The Loire Valley is one of the most underappreciated wine regions in France. It's the third largest in France behind the Languedoc and Bordeaux, an impressive 70,000 hectares of vineyards. Time for a spotlight on one of the best appellations of the Loire- Vouvray.

The Loire River runs for over 1,000km from the Massif Central in the middle of France, flowing North, then West draining roughly one fifth of France's land area to eventually empty into the Atlantic Ocean.

The Loire is considered 'the Garden of France' due to the abundance of orchards, vegetable farms, and vineyards across the region. If you are ever there in Spring, the white asparagus is beyond compare!

Another nickname for the region is 'The Valley of Kings' - due to the stunning array of Chateaux. Over 300 historic chateau still stand here, dating from the 10th to the 16th centuries, after which the royal residence moved to the Louvre, and eventually to Versailles. Azay-Le-Rideau is pictured here, one of the best examples of 16th Century French architecture.

The gleaming white stone that built these magnificent Chateaux comes from the local rock 'Tuffeau'. The same rock stretches across the Paris Basin, it is a type of fine limestone soil formed from 90 million year old marine sediments. It is lighter and softer, with a velvety feel to it that hardens when exposed to air.

Less exotic but equally fascinating are the 'Troglodyte' homes - built into the gaps from the stone quarried for the Chateaux. Until the early 20th century small villages of people lived literally in the hillsides. Now they are more of a quaint piece of history, some remaining examples converted to Bed & Breakfasts.

Which brings us to Vouvray, the treasured wine appellation I would argue produces the best wines of the Loire. Vouvray is on the outskirts of the city Tours, spread across 8 small communes on the North bank of the Loire River. The appellation used to be substantially larger, before Montlouis on the South bank split off to become its own appellation.

The town of Vouvray itself is 12km outside of Tours, with a compact centre and finger-like roads lined with homes up the valleys. The plateaux above is covered with the vineyards.

While the Loire is considered the spiritual home of several important grape varieties (like Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc), the vineyards of Vouvray are planted exclusively in the best grape of the region: Chenin Blanc. While grape growing and winemaking has existed here since at least the Middle Ages, the Chenin grape is thought to have originated in nearby Anjou in around the 9th Century where it was known as 'Pineau de la Loire'.

Chenin is a labour of love in the vineyard, it buds early (prone to frost), ripens late (prone to rot), needs to be aggressively cropped back to produce high quality fruit. It also ripens unevenly, which means several hand-picked harvests over multiple weeks. When treated right it produces spectacular wine.

Clos de Nouy is owned by Pierre Chainier. While Pierre established his group in the 1960s, the grape growing and wine making heritage of the Chainier family stretches back to 1749 in Bordeaux. The Vouvray vineyards are 25 hectares of vineyards, considered among the best sites of the region. In addition to Clos de Nouy, Chainier holds another 225 hectares of vineyards across 8 different estates in the Loire Valley. Philippe Chainier and his brother Francois are now the proprietors.

Remember that 'Tuffeau' soil and those troglodyte caves? Like several producers in the region, the cellars of Clos de Nouy are carved into the tuffeau rock underneath the vineyard. That makes for ideal winemaking and cellaring conditions - an even 12 degrees celcius and consistent humidity. The limestone brings the elegance, freshness, balance, length, and complexity to these wonderful wines.

The wines of Vouvray are traditionally minimalist in winemaking- cool ferment in concrete or steel, no malolactic fermentation, and it is rare to see use of oak. There is however surprising variety of sweetness in the Vouvray wines. The 'Sec' or dry, 'Sec Tendre' ("tender" or off dry), Demi-Sec, and Moelleux a rich sweet style often with highly botrytised grapes if the season is right. Quality Vouvray wines can age for years, even decades. There is respectable sparkling wine made in Vouvray, so a very versatile grape indeed.

The ripeness of the fruit and conditions of the particular year have a bearing on the wine. For sparkling and drier styles the grapes are picked earlier to retain their natural acidity and relatively lower sugars. Later, if the season allows it, botrytis sets in adding sugars and richness more suited to the sweeter wines.

We import the two mainstays of Clos de Nouy, their dry 'Sec' and off-dry 'Demi-Sec' Vouvrays. Both are delicious in their own way. Both grown from vines over 40 years old, temperature controlled cool ferment and resting for 3-4 months on fine lees without malolactic fermentation.

The 'Sec' Dry style of Chenin Blanc. Delicate nose of clove, honey, apricot and pineapple, dry but not austere with tropical mango, beeswax candle, with a very long mouth watering mineral finish. Quintessential Vouvray in the traditional French style. 

The demi-sec sits in the "Off-Dry" part of the spectrum. It features citrus, green apple, clover honey, and a touch of tropical fruit and spice. 15g+ residual sugar, but in no way cloying. Balancing acidity leaves a clean finish.

Both are drinking beautifully well now, but will continue to improve for several years in the cellar. I recommend a slightly cooler serving temperature than Chardonnay, but warmer than Champagne.  Around 12 degrees celcius will do nicely.

Check out our special offers of the Clos de Nouy wines here:

https://ewine.co.nz/collections/spotlight-on-vouvray-clos-de-nouy