As I’m sure you will agree, perhaps the most interesting wines produced in the Loire Valley are the infinite styles of Chenin Blanc. We have mentioned before that at the heart of this region, Vouvray, puts out a range of Chenin Blanc styles, which have an almost unbelievable ability to age—and the 1994 Vouvray we are offering today is no exception. The aging potential and versatility of Chenin Blanc is incredible and few people consider this when ordering wine—so thankfully, prices remain low for those of us who love Chenin Blanc.
When it comes to Vouvray, Régis Cruchet is a famous name who has always produced solid examples of both dry and off-dry styles of Chenin Blanc. His 1994 Vouvray Sec tastes incredibly young and fresh, with little to no oxidation—as if the wine were three to four years old—although it has the complexity we look for in older wine. Just like the 1993, the youthful nature that the wine displays is due to it living in the cold cellars far beneath Vouvray for the past twenty years. This stunning region sits on the north bank of the alluring Loire River; the winegrowing and winemaking history dates back to the Middle Ages, when Catholic churches grew grapes and made wine at local monasteries. Ancient viticultural traditions and minimalist winemaking approaches still dominant the region’s production. As we noted before, Régis Cruchet works his vines with great passion and vigor; upon harvest, he sorts his grapes more than any winemaker I have ever heard or read about—discarding nearly 30% of grapes that he deems unworthy for production. This astounding level of sorting contributes to the clean nature of his wines. After pressing, only natural yeasts are used to ferment the must, before aging in neutral barrels.
The 1994 Vouvray Sec has a moderate golden core moving to bright golden yellow reflections on the rim. The wine’s aromatics are lively and glowing with youthful energy, even though it is over twenty years old. The aromatics show notes of toasted hazelnuts, dried white peach, candied lemon, beeswax, chamomile tea, honeysuckle, white mushrooms and apple cider. The palate shows a small touch of residual sugar, which is good because it balances the wine’s high acidity. Flavors on the palate are similar to the nose, yet driven by further notes of ripe, sweet yellow apples, Meyer lemon, honey and crushed stones. This wine is best right when opened, and in the first ninety minutes of its life; I recommend pouring this wine at about 50 degrees into Riesling or all purpose white wine glasses and taste its evolution over the next hour or so. This wine is incredibly versatile with food; you could pair it with green curry, roast chicken with lemon or even grilled seafood. I would have it with a selection of mature french cheese, such as Epoisses and aged goat cheeses from the Loire Valley.
Important - Please Read:
Please let the wine rest after delivery, ideally a week or more—in a cold, dark place. It seems that older and more delicate wines (Burgundy, etc.) tend to not show their best for a week or so after shipping, so please give the wine some time to rest. Also, please note that when wine has been stored for decades in a proper cellar with ideal humidity (like this wine), you will often find a touch of mold on the top of the cork when you remove the foil from the bottle; this is actually a good sign that the cork stayed moist during aging. A moist cork means the cork is fully expanded inside the bottle with little oxygen passing through. Simply take a moist towel and gently wipe the dark substance off the top of the cork before opening like normal (you will notice it is only on the top of the cork). Again, this is common in most older wines. If the substance has somehow fought its way down the side of the cork and into the wine, that is not a good sign, and usually means the wine is oxidized due to an imperfect cork. I have rarely seen this happen, but if it does please let us know by sending an email to info@sommselect.com.
