Few regions and grape varieties are as synonymous as Vouvray and Chenin Blanc. In this tiny appellation to the northeast of Tours, Chenin reaches its highest highs. In Vouvray, the sometimes rustic Chenin achieves a complexity and breed that places it definitively in the firmament of the world’s most noble whites. That’s thanks largely to the village’s signature tuffeau soil. Tuffeau is a particularly porous and chalky variant of limestone and is quite literally what the appellation is built on. Vines grow on it, cellars are carved into it, even the houses in Vouvray are made from it. The porousness of tuffeau means it drains freely, retaining just as much rainfall and nutrients as the Chenin vines need, while forcing them to struggle and produce small crops of concentrated fruit.

The Foreau family has been a leader in Vouvray for a century now. Since Armand Foreau established the domaine in 1923, the family has dedicated themselves entirely to the Chenin Blanc variety. The property has long stood at a modest 11.5 hectares, enough for just a few family members to maniacally care for. Philippe took over in 1983, and his son Vincent is now slowly taking the reigns. Rest assured, nothing has or will really change from the way things were done 100 years ago. Chenin is still pressed into incredibly old – 20-30 years – barrels and fermented spontaneously in the freezing cold cellars.    

Why You’ll Love It

• Though the Foreau wines never carry vineyard designations, they hail from two special vineyards,  “Les Perruches” and “Les Ruettes.”  Both plots are located in the choicest slope of the appellation, what the locals call the “première côte.” 

• Every step of the winemaking process is taken to emphasize clearly and purely Vouvray’s special soil. Fruit is hand-harvested, then pressed into old barrels in the Foreaus’ underground cellars. Fermentation proceeds spontaneously, with malolactic blocked thanks to the cellars’ cool temperatures.

• At five years of age, Foreau’s 2020 Vouvray Sec is an absolute masterclass in the brilliance of Chenin on tuffeau. The nose screams with pulverized chalk minerality, seaspray, and salty tones. Classic Chenin notes like golden apple, white peach, lemon peel, honey, sheep’s wool, and hay round it out. 

• The palate is seamless, thrumming, powerful. It leads with crushed rocks and vibrant acidity before fleshing out into richer golden fruit tones. The finish is minutes-long, drenched in minerality.

• This is truly elite-level Vouvray. $55 for a wine of this quality is, frankly, a steal, especially when compared to similarly priced white Burgundy or Bordeaux Blanc.

How To Serve It:

• This is ready to rip right now, but you’ll want to lay some down for the next three decades!

• Serve just below cellar temperature, around 50 degrees, in all-purpose stems.

• Phillippe loves to serve his Vouvray with ocean fish, so we’re happy to take his lead there. How about a little black bass with beurre blanc?