2014 François Chidaine Vouvray Sec Les Argiles, France, Loire, Wine Review

This bottle was quite good. There are some reports about the prematurely oxidizing or at least ageing quickly but this was the first time trying this vintage. It is quite a deep golden color but that is not unheard of for Chenin. The nose is very nice with aromas of pears, orange peel, slight copper note and a bit of honey. Full bodied and slightly viscous. Also slightly oily in texture. Lots of great minerality with some background orange and pear. Long finish. This has a slight perception of being sweet but it seems dry. Good acidity. This worked great with some hummus and also artichoke dip. A nice wine early in the meal. At $25, this is a really nice value.

Grade:

A-

Score:

Vintage:

2014

Current Price:

$25.00USD

Vouvray: A Chenin Blanc for the Ages

Among Americans, the Loire Valley is most often associated with gardens and castles and not much else. We journey the 150 kilometers southwest from Paris and take a day or two visiting Chateau de Chambord and Chenonceau, all the while enjoying the delightful flora and thinking of bygone days when princes and noblemen still roamed the cavernous halls in this ancient land. But the French know better. They know what we foreigners are just beginning to discover—that some of the most interesting, delicious, and affordable wines in the world hail from the chalky soil on which those famous castles stand.

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2014 François Chidaine Vouvray Sec Les Argiles, France, Loire Valley, Wine Review

Vintage:

2014

Score:

Grade:

A-

This wine has a reputation of being a bit oxidized and advanced in 2014. This bottle was a bit advanced but it was also spot on drinking right now. Medium golden in color. The nose has anjou pears along with minerals and a salinty which is very nice. This has a slightly oily texture. The pears continue and if this has any oxidation, it is quite small. There is good acidity. Nice finish. Enjoyed with a Ginger Parsnip Pear soup, this was a perfect match with a nice synergy. It might not make old bones, but it is drinking quite well right now.

2018 Domaine Huet Vouvray Demi-Sec Le Mont, France, Loire, Wine Review

Vintage:

2018

Score:

Grade:

A-

Current Price:

$35.00USD

Another gorgeous bottle from one of the top producers of Vouvray. Light golden in color. The nose is great. Lots of minerality with pears, quince and saline. On the palate, this is medium bodied. Ripe quince and orange peel with underlying minerality. Great smooth texture. Nice balance. Long finish. This is slightly sweet but certainly not overt. This should last for a couple of decades although Huet has had some issues with random bottles prematurely oxidizing. Still, laying a few down and drinking some young is a nice strategy. This drinks great on its own and would work well

2020 François et Julian Pinon Vouvray Les Trois Argiles, France, Loire, Wine Review

Vintage:

2020

Score:

Grade:

Current Price:

$28.00USD

The wines of François Pinon have been some of our favorites for quite some time. His son Julien is now involved with him at the winery. This wine is so named as the grapes (100% Chenin Blanc) come from three separate plots. The wines are fermented with native yeasts in old wooden vats in the naturally cool cellar carved out of a limestone hillside.

2015 Domaine Huet Vouvray Demi-Sec Le Haut-Lieu, France, Loire Valley, Wine Review

Vintage:

2015

Score:

Grade:

Vouvrays are made from the Chenin Blanc grape. Light gold in color. The nose is lovely with apricot, some orange peel, minerals and salinity. The palate is sweet. Not full on dessert wine, but sweet. Flavors of lemon hard candy; that sort of sweet/sour combination on the attack. The mid-palate has more oranges. Finishing back at the lemon hard candy. Long finish. This has good acidity and is food friendly. It also is full bodied and deep and works well on its own especially early on a nice summer evening outside. It is delicious. No doubt this could last for twenty years or more

2014 François Chidaine Vouvray Sec Les Argiles, France, Loire, Wine Review

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Vouvray: A Chenin Blanc for the Ages

2014 François Chidaine Vouvray Sec Les Argiles, France, Loire Valley, Wine Review

2018 Domaine Huet Vouvray Demi-Sec Le Mont, France, Loire, Wine Review

2020 François et Julian Pinon Vouvray Les Trois Argiles, France, Loire, Wine Review

2015 Domaine Huet Vouvray Demi-Sec Le Haut-Lieu, France, Loire Valley, Wine Review