So where did we leave off?
With the local chevres – each more delectable than the next…
After a gorgeous run through the fields of sunflowers and
hills of vines, we set out yesterday morning to go visit Domaine Huet in
Vouvray, about an hour away on tiny one lane roads weaving through ancient
French towns, each more pleasant than the next but strikingly without a soul
present in any of the establishments or on the streets.
So what separates Vouvray from Chinon in terms of wine
production you might be wondering? Well Vouvray is all about whites and
bubbles! In Vouvray you tend to find – Sec, Demi-Sec, and Moelleux style whites
along with the variety of bubbles on offer. The classic Vouvray style wine is
Demi-Sec, not too sweet, not too dry, nice and minerally yet fruity with a
citrusy, grassy tang, medium bodied on the tongue yet light as well. Great with
fish dishes and a wide variety of local cheeses. Ok, so maybe you’re like me
and you really only like super crisp whites, give yourself over to the Vouvray
Demi-Sec, it surely is a nice change of pace.
At Domaine Huet we had the pleasure of tasting through their
entire line of stills, sparklings, and Moelleux wines. Domaine Huet has vines
in three different plots – Le Haut-Lieu (deep brown clay based soil giving way
to full bodied round wines), Le Mont, (bordering on a hillside, this is stony
green clay and silica based soil giving way to refined and elegant wines) and
lastly Le Clos du Bourg (located right about the church of Vouvray with shallow
limestone soil that tends to give way to solid well-formed wines.) For someone
interested in terroir and in the difference in the taste and structure profile
of a wine based on the type of soil, Domaine Huet was a goldmine – the same
grapes planted in the same region but simply grown with different soil profiles
produces such a wide variety of wines! By favorite was the Demi-Sec Le Mont
2011, a beautiful, well composed and elegant wine.
Moving along from Huet, we stopped at Chateau Moncontour, a
fifteenth century chateau that was said to be Balzac’s life-long dream to own,
except unfortunately he never had a sufficient amount of money to purchase the
property. Needless to say, they had quite the selection of bubbles and still
wines. My favorite was their Vouvray Cuvee Predilection 2008 “Grande Reserve” –
delicate and refined yet full bodied and full of flavor nuances – nutty and
toasty with bright orange citrus notes and fantastically small bubbles. This
was special occasion bubbles done well.
After lunch at a cute local bistro in Vouvray, we ventured
to Bourgueil, with the hopes of a few more visits here and there. Well that did
not go as planned unfortunately – either we could not seem to locate what we
were looking for even if both our car and phone GPS informed us that yes we
were there or well it was the middle of August and the Domaine or Fromagiste
was closed up tight. So where did we stop, just past the fourth left turn in
Restigne, down the tiny road sandwiched by vines around the second bend at
Domaine de la Chevalerie. There we discovered the “pere” of the domaine, a
tenth generation winemaker who was picking renne claudes from the property’s
trees. He escorted us down to their caves where we were able to see their
Bourgueils aging in bottles dating back to the late 1960s – this was small
family production at its best. As the “pere” put it, “they’re about family not
business nor commercialization.” Their wines are only available for small
purchase and they are not distributed in any restaurants. It is so rare to see
such familial history and passion in the wine making business like this anywhere
but in France. A great way to end the day!
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